What You're Falling On
by WitchyGirl99
Summary: This is the story of a mouthy, half-demonic hero named Inuyasha and his supervisory field agent Kagome Higurashi; where fraternization is strictly against the rules but two fumbling hearts find each other in the darkness anyways, InuKag.
1. Chapter One

**Author's Note: **So, this is it. This is the story that's pretty much demolished my brain and made me think about only it for - I don't know - the past month? It just stormed my brain and it was all I could think about it. It was supposed to be this cute, romantic tale that was just _romance_. And then, it kind of exploded like a monster. I really do hope you enjoy this story of mine. It's more or less completely written, although I still have some rather large edits to make for future chapters. Regular updates for this, at least.

**PLEASE HEED THE WARNINGS. This a romance but with some very triggery scenes. Each chapter will be supplied with its own "CHAPTER WARNINGS" because of the delicacy of some of them. Please feel free to message me concerning anything and I will happily tell you locations so that you can either bypass the section, or read it - depending on your choice.**

**Warnings: (1) **AU, **(2) **explicit language, **(3) **extreme violence, **(4) **romance with a plot that is in no way the focus, **(5)** minor character deaths, **(6) **temporary major character death - YES TEMPORARY, **(7) **non-graphic and extremely graphic torture, **(8) **non-con - in the form of kissing, **(9) **symptoms of PTSD, **(10) **vague mentions of off-screen rape for an off-screen character, **(11) **filthy, I-can't-believe-I-actually-wrote-this-and-thought-of-this-I'm-so-going-to-Hell-(WELL AT LEAST THEY HAVE CURSED!SMIRKING!INUYASHA) porn, **(12) **followed by fluffy, I'M-FULL-OF-ALL-THESE-_FEELINGS_ porn.

**YES I KNOW, IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A ROMANCE. IDEFK WHAT HAPPENED.**

**Like I said, individual chapter warnings will be given so that if you have any questions concerning the specific chapter, you can ask and I can answer. I have it all listed so that if you choose to skip a part, I can tell you exactly where it is. No hard feelings.**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha. I do not profit from this story.

**Chapter One Warnings: **AU, explicit language, extreme violence.

**Title: **Taken from "Falling On," by Finger Eleven.

* * *

**What You're Falling On**

**Chapter One**

* * *

_July 19__th__, 2009_

_Day 0_

* * *

It looked like the sky was on fire.

Kagome heard the screams, freezing herself in place with her gun clutched in her hands. Nothing was going according to the plan. This wasn't supposed to be some heavy-hitting mission where troops were filing out of government-funded vehicles with guns drawn, but it was. Not that they would do any good anyways, but desperation was desperation, and Kagome had been with this job long enough to know when things were pushing the limit.

She felt panic rise up her throat, but years of training had her shoving it ruthlessly back down. She didn't have the time or energy for it; Kagome had to find her way through the madness. There was the sickening sound of a dragon's roar, too loud before suddenly a burst of heat flared. She heard more screams – blood-curdling, horrifying – and Kagome wanted to close her eyes like Dorothy in the _Wizard of Oz_ and shout that there was no place like home, there was no place like home.

But she wouldn't.

"Higurashi!"

The sound of her last name made her snap up her head, seeing Agent Miroku Tsujitani's tense blue eyes but permanent sly grin. Formalities were important only on the clock, and this was definitely _on the clock_. Still, with the way his grin was etched into his face – like all of this was some sort of game – Kagome wanted to believe they were kicking back playing video games in the lounge on campus.

"We've got to move boss," Miroku stated, grabbing her by the crook of her elbow and all but dragging her towards a crumbling brick wall. They needed better shelter, though Kagome couldn't see anything within a mile radius that would help. The dragon's fire was destroying mostly everything close to them, even the car she had previous taken shelter behind was no more than a burning piece of scrap metal.

"I've lost my earpiece, so I've been incommunicado. Where's the backup?" Kagome asked, ducking behind the wall with her gun still tight against her. She watched as Miroku peered over the brick, eyes searching before he slid back down.

"ETA is two minutes. If we can hold off, they should have the dragon problem taken care of."

"Two minutes? I made the call twenty minutes ago! They should be here by now," Kagome snapped. The agent didn't understand how things had spiralled into levels of absolute hell. They were trained for situations like this, and yet the moment something actually happened no one knew what to do. The simple fact was that there was a demonic dragon burning things, it was monstrous and the agents on scene were only human. Demons were powerful creatures and while the Research and Development department was continuously trying to make conditions better for humans to adapt, it just wasn't there yet.

"Sesshomaru's coming," Miroku said simply, his hands automatically moving over to check his gun. She could hear in his tone that he felt the same way. He may have been her subordinate but he had been on the job for several years, just like her. He knew his work better than anyone, making him a valuable part of her team. "We're almost in the clear."

Suddenly, Miroku's face paled, right hand reaching up to touch his ear. "Agent Houko? Sango, is that you?" He sounded scared and Kagome looked to see his lips curled in tight over his teeth. The agent looked over the wall, clearly searching for something important when his whole body twitched and froze. "I need a visual. You stay where you are, Sango, you hear me?"

Kagome couldn't hear what Sango's response was but whatever the words were, they made Miroku relax a little. Kagome wished not for the first time that she hadn't lost her earpiece between the second and third explosions. It made communication with her team and the other teams impossible.

"I can break my own rules whenever I want," Miroku replied back flirtatiously – his default mode. "I'm coming to get you so don't move from your position."

Kagome had something to say about that, regardless of what the two field agents were talking about. "Give me the ear bud," she ordered, holding out her hand. "You're going nowhere Agent, not yet. What's Agent Houko's twenty?"

Miroku's jaw tensed, his body at the ready to run. "She's immobile and hurt. I can't leave her out there."

This was the problem, though Kagome would never say it out loud. Fraternization was against the rules for a reason but she had purposefully looked the other way. People deserved to be happy after all. Then again, situations like this put the other side of the coin in the light, just shining with reasons for why the rule was there in the first place.

"I know," Kagome said, keeping her voice low. "But we need a visual and a route before we make any decisions."

"I can't–"

"That's an _order_, Agent Tsujitani and I'm pissed that I even have to make it!" Kagome snapped. "I am not any happier about this messed up situation than you are so give me the ear bud and let me do my job!"

Miroku seemed to get it, his hands shaking as he took out the earpiece and dropped it into her hand. He got it; she could see it in his blue eyes that he understood. Kagome would die protecting him and Sango because they were her friends, her team mates. But as the only higher-up field agent possibly alive right now after the biggest mess up in the history of missions, Kagome had to do things by the book to keep them all breathing.

She turned around to peer over the wall when suddenly Miroku's heavy body landed on hers, a grunt falling from his lips. Kagome didn't even know what was happening, but then she was collapsing backwards, disoriented and confused with pain radiating from her spine. She had the final thought that everything was going so horribly wrong. Lives were being lost, team mates left behind to deal with something they couldn't handle. No one had been prepared for the dragon when they thought it had been a simple recon.

The last thing Kagome saw before her eyes rolled to the back of her head was the unmistakable sky of deathly fire.

* * *

_Present Day_

_September 2__nd__, 2012_

* * *

Kagome Higurashi didn't like sleeping. She knew her reasons – sleeping led to dreams and dreams led to the inevitable band that wrapped around her chest – and she knew that if she stayed up to a certain point, the exhaustion would make even the simplest of dreams vanish.

The mirror in front of her was practically mocking her. It was clean, perfect and just the way Kagome liked it. What image it reflected, however, was anything but. Twenty-six years old and she already looked older. Her brown eyes showed off the exhaustion and didn't wear away until the second cup of coffee. Her pale skin always seemed greyer when she first woke up, the blood still needing to get moving just like she had to. It was five-thirty in the morning. Kagome sighed and grabbed the hairbrush to get rid of whatever knots were sure to be in the black, tangled locks.

It took exactly fourteen minutes for her to get ready. She had learned long ago that showers were best taken at night because some sort of demonic blood, guts or waste was bound to end up on her before lunch. Her hair was bad enough as it was.

She made her way through the campus after locking her doors, heading towards HQ where she was scheduled for an appointment. Director Kaede Kyouda had asked at 11:52 p.m. last night for an emergency meeting to take place this morning. Kagome didn't know what it was about or how she was involved, but the director of a secret organization to save the world from evil wanted her there and Kagome would follow that order.

Agents passed her along the way, nodding their greetings. She knew every single one of their names. Six years of a job at FANG made you learn to take in every detail. Kagome turned down the right wing, passing the metal accented logo before rapping lightly on Kaede's door.

The older woman's voice was strong, telling her to come in. Kagome pushed the door open, taking in the sight of Director Kaede Kyouda, one of the big bosses for FANG. She more or less ran it, doing virtually everything but going out into the field herself. She'd done her time, it was obvious from the wrinkles on her face, the eye patch that hid a terrible day years ago when the torture they were putting her through simply wasn't enough.

"You wanted to see me, Director Kyouda?" Kagome asked, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. The office was large and spacious, paperwork surrounding virtually every surface but all neatly and tidily put in their place.

"Sit down please, Agent Higurashi," Kaede murmured, gesturing with her hand while she spun around in her chair to locate something from behind her. "I have two important things to tell you. The first is that you're being transferred."

The black-haired agent paused for a moment, brown eyes calculating the tone in her voice. There was nothing to suggest it was a punishment, although with Kaede it was hard to tell. "I don't understand, ma'am."

Kaede sat back up, rolling her one eye at Kagome's comment. "A promotion, if you will. It's time you went back out onto the field, Agent Higurashi. Your skills are invaluable and you've been training – don't think I didn't know," the older woman interrupted, glaring at the sight of Kagome's mouth opening to protest. "_No fault_."

The agent snapped her mouth shut and didn't argue.

Kaede smiled then, slow and sure as she passed over a file. "Starting immediately, you will be the handler for one of our greatest in potential. It will be your job to have his back, be his partner, and stand behind the code that FANG represents. Arachnid has been gaining, Agent. You know as well as I do from your times in the Crisis Centre."

"Yes, ma'am," Kagome replied, ignoring the repeated eye roll in favour for the folder Kaede had placed in front of her. She watched the director nod before opening it, taking in the photo and the basic information on file. It wasn't hard difficult to process – she'd heard the name several times. "Taisho? Sesshomaru's brother?"

"Inuyasha," Kaede mused, a smile playing on her lips. "I want you to handle him."

Kagome knew what that meant. She looked up at the director, more confused than ever. "He's had seven handlers in the past three months. He's volatile, stubborn and doesn't listen. I've seen his reports, the live video feed from his missions. While I know some of the rumours are clearly exaggerated–"

"Agent Higurashi," Kaede interrupted, her voice sharp. She may no longer be in the field, but she could certainly command an army without moving a finger. "Inuyasha Taisho has the potential to be greater than his half-brother. I am old, not stupid. Are you telling me you are incapable of completing the task I have assigned to you, Agent?"

For the second time that morning, Kagome kept her mouth shut, thinking over her words. Inuyasha Taisho was supposed to be one of the most destructive demons to have ever worked for FANG. Demons were both good and bad, and FANG recruited those to stop the evil work of Arachnid, an all demon organization bent on eliminating humans. With their strength and individual talents, it wouldn't seem all that hard. The problem was that demons accounted for a very small, insignificant percentage of the living race. Humans overpopulated and demon bloodlines got thinner and thinner as their mates more often than not became tainted with human blood. Finding full demons –even _half-demons_ – was nearly impossible. Sesshomaru was known as the greatest fighter FANG had. The concept of Inuyasha becoming something far better was inconceivable from what she had seen.

"Higurashi," Kaede snapped. "Are you incapable?"

"No, Director Kyouda, I am not. I will gladly accept this arrangement," Kagome replied. Freshly promoted and her hole in the ground was already dug past six feet. It was surprising what could happen in the morning.

"Good." The director's smile returned once more. "Inuyasha will be on-site in four hours. The necessary forms have been sent to your office already and I expect them by tomorrow. Have a good day, Agent Higurashi."

Nodding, Kagome stood up from the chair, taking the folder with her. If Inuyasha was her new assignment, she would need all of the information she could get. Back in the field after three years and this was what she was put up against. It was like FANG enjoyed making her leap before she looked.

Hopefully this time, no one ended up dead.

* * *

The Demon Initiative was the responsibility of FANG to have trained and prepared demons to save the human race. Humans were versatile and determined, but their adaptability wasn't good enough for demonic attacks. Since Arachnid started up in early 2000, over a million people had died. The extermination of the human race had yet to even begin and that was why FANG was created. Not all demons were inherently evil and it was the few good ones that were brought on board to defeat something only they could truly comprehend. Demons were stronger, faster, and could adapt faster, before humans even had time to process the scenery.

FANG consisted of humans as well, most of them with specialities that separated them from the rest. Every agent's file was under the strict viewing restriction of Director Kaede Kyouda's eyes but stories were told. CIA, FBI, Navy SEAL, Al Qaeda…the list was endless. Then there were people like Kagome, who simply had ancient history that wouldn't let go.

The black-haired woman sat in her office, glancing up at her clock. Late, Inuyasha was already late. It was their first meeting and in Kagome's strict view, first impressions were everything. Turning back towards the reports, she cringed at the sight of the piles of paper. While it wasn't director-level bad, it was getting there. She glared at the page right in front of her, demanding to know a list of qualifications she had filed out a hundred times but had to do so yet again because of the new _promotion_. Chances were that she'd have to move offices. Being located at the Crisis Centre wasn't exactly where the handlers were supposed to remain.

"You've got to be shitting me."

Kagome looked up instantly, wondering how in the world someone had gotten into her office without her even noticing. The door was open, just a little bit more than the slightly angled position she had left it at. Still, the door creaked and the fact that he– "Inuyasha," Kagome stated, covering up whatever concern she had. This was already a tragically bad start. The half-demon was going to have a field day all because he had caught her off-guard. She couldn't slip like that again. Kagome had been a field agent for three years for god's sake. "You're late."

"I'm aware." The half-demon in front of her smirked, looking far too sure of himself in the small office. His golden eyes scanned her desk, his hip cocking to the side as he took everything in. "So you're my babysitter."

"Handler," Kagome corrected. She was expecting this, at least. The rumours weren't wrong that he had quite the unfiltered mouth.

"Babysitter," the silver-haired man repeated, flopping down in the leather seat opposite to her. "You have a name?"

Kagome suppressed the urge to yell. This was an opportunity – something that the director was giving her to prove herself. There weren't many humans like her – extra powers that could go a long way when fighting to save lives against demons – so she had to do this right. She had to get this stubborn, mouthy half-demon to listen to her, to respect her and most of all, to give a crap about what they were doing at FANG. "Agent Higurashi," she replied coolly. Grabbing a folder from her right, she handed it over to her new charge. "This is all of the information you'll need – about our missions, our contacts and myself. Any questions?"

Inuyasha stared at the manila folder, making no move to take it. "Why would I read that shit? Can't you read it to me, like a bedtime story? It'll be like babysitting, only for real."

"Insinuating that I'm going anywhere near your bed is a wild, terribly unsuited idea for you," Kagome responded, keeping her voice firm. "Read it. Director Kyouda will want to be testing us soon during the probationary period. If you mess up because you didn't read the file, it'll look bad on the both of us."

The smirk was back out in full force, but this time it wasn't blandly amused. There was a look in Inuyasha's golden eyes, something deep and guarded. "Let's get this straight, shall we? You're my babysitter. You're responsible for me. Now I can take care of my own goddamn self, so as long as you can do the same then I don't need to do any kind of this formal bullshit. You don't know the first thing about me and I don't care to know the first thing about you. We'll leave it at that."

"You're Inuyasha Taisho, born on January 25th, 1980. Both of your parents are dead – your father a few months before your birth and your mother when you were six. You have a half-brother who is considered one of FANG's greatest fighters. The longest you've ever been with a handler is three weeks and that was apparently because you were in a coma for most of it due to a fight. _Reckless action_ is generally what's written in all of your field reports and you're seriously injured three out of every five missions. Averagely, 2.5 of the three missions you're injured in were because you did something stupid and/or against direct orders."

"So you know what every other handler knew," Inuyasha spat, clearly not moved. "You think you can make a difference?"

Kagome forced the taunting smile to her face, allowing herself to slip into the role so easily. Three years of sitting behind a desk and she could still pull punches with the best of them. She knew how to play the part, knew how to get whatever was necessary done. If this was going to be the way their working relationship was, then so be it. "Not a chance. But I know enough about you to keep you alive and that's all you need. As long as you return to base at the end of the day having saved more lives than you've ended, I've done my job. Now as far as I'm aware, you should be in training right now. You're dismissed."

The silver-haired man looked incredulous for a moment, the smirk completely wiped off his face. It was only a brief moment, since his face went back to the usual cocky smirk within seconds. "You're going to be a fun one to crack, Agent…?"

"You heard it the first time."

"Right." Inuyasha stood up, turning around to leave the office door.

"The folder, Inuyasha," Kagome reminded him blandly. "You can't read it if you leave it on my desk."

Inuyasha was at the desk so fast Kagome hadn't even had time to blink. Super speed wasn't common for all demons but it was certainly written in Inuyasha's file. The handler wanted to know exactly how fast he could run. "Forgot."

"Conveniently, I remembered for you."

Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha finally left the office with the folder in hand.

Kagome sighed, rubbed her temples and wondered what the hell she was going to do to get through this in one piece.

* * *

_September 9__th__, 2012_

* * *

Seeing someone in action on the training field was completely different than watching them in real life. Kagome had seen enough of the silver-haired half-demon from video feed, watching him annihilate targets with the Tetsusaiga. The sword was something else entirely – magical in a way that didn't let demons touch it (besides Inuyasha's half-blood) and only transformed to his will. She had seen a lot of what Inuyasha was capable of and while this mission was a simple recon and wouldn't require such intense skills, it was still fascinating to watch.

Kagome was on the rooftop of another building. The sniper rifle was in position, Inuyasha in the crosshairs as she watched him move. The area of town was mostly abandoned, save for the odd drug dealer or group of sketchy looking people. It used to be an industrial district until twenty years back, when a recession hit the city hard and production simply cost more than what the product was worth selling. No one was supposed to be here but FANG had heard rumours of Arachnid operatives lurking around here, like a base.

"Inuyasha, a word," Kagome murmured into the earpiece, still keeping her brown eye trained on him through the scope.

"Nothing to report,_ Agent Higurashi_," Inuyasha snarled in reply. His back was to her but she could practically see the eye roll anyways. "I don't hear anything, don't smell anything. It's dead here."

"Acknowledged, we'll leave in five," Kagome stated, taking her eyes off the half-demon to check her watch. They'd been out there for almost two hours already. They would move out so that another detail could come in to replace them. "Radioing Team Beta."

"You sound like a robot." The statement was harsh, his words dripping with incomprehensible anger. "Want to try actually being human?"

"This is not an informal chatting feed," Kagome snapped right back. "Radio silence until I give the word to move out."

"_Radio silence until I give the word to move out_," the silver-haired man mimicked, his voice high-pitched and completely off the mark. "You sound exactly like my–"

Kagome internally groaned because the half-demon had been mouthy the entire time they'd been out. He was either unresponsive or _too chatty_ and it annoyed her to no end. This was different though because suddenly Inuyasha never finished his sentence. Looking into the scope, she saw the half-demon, his muscles tense. Slowly she slid her fingers into place, trigger ready to be pulled as she started to scope around him. "Inuyasha, what is it?"

Silence for a moment, and Kagome was going to scream at him to listen to her when Inuyasha finally responded. "There's something here, _shit_." She watched through the scope as the silver-haired half-demon jumped, body soaring into the air and landing on the roof of the building opposite to her. "There's a humming sound coming from this building. I can't place what it is though."

"Humming? What does it sound like?" Kagome asked, feeling her heart rate pick up. She aligned the sniper rifle as she rotated the scope, finding all of the exits and visible windows clear. "Taisho, mimic it for me."

"_Fuck_."

Kagome locked Inuyasha between her crosshairs, trying to figure out what he was seeing. "Taisho, report!"

"Where's a window?" Inuyasha demanded rather than answering. "I need the nearest window!"

"West of your position, closest to me," the handler replied instantly. "What's the sound?"

Inuyasha didn't respond yet again, merely taking off at a run before grabbing the edge of the building. His body swung down, twisting in a way that was completely unnatural and would have any human already falling down the two-story building. The window was near his feet as he hung there, suspended with only his fingers grappling against the flat roof. "Open it up for me, dammit!" Inuyasha shouted.

"I am supposed to be _invisible,_ Inuyasha. What the _hell_ are you doing?" Kagome watched him struggle, still not knowing what had Inuyasha going, what the humming noise was, what the half-demon was sensing. Clenching her jaw and realizing that a ton of paperwork was sure to follow, Kagome squeezed the trigger, firing off just enough shots. The half-demon then curled his feet up to rest on the brick, hovering for only a moment before he swung his body and let go. He kicked into the window, the glass shattering as he disappeared into the building. "What are you doing, Inuyasha? Report!"

There was no reply other than heavy breathing and Kagome was going to kill him. She was going to ground him, bury him in paperwork and report him so fast that his head would spin.

"I have a visual on Arachnids, four of them. They're in a chamber of some sort." Inuyasha's whisper was difficult to hear. "It's completely covered; I don't think they know I'm here."

"What story?"

"The second," Inuyasha replied. "Watch the windows. I'm going to be sending you a couple presents to celebrate our new _partnership_."

"We are not to engage. I'm calling for backup–"

"Hey fuckers," Inuyasha yelled and Kagome could hear the sound of alarms. There were noises that she could distinguish – the clicking of guns, the sound of metal clashing, roars of anger – and then other noises that she couldn't. Now the humming was distinguishable to her ears, the sound pulsing almost. It was unlike anything she had ever heard but before she had time to contemplate it, a body was flying through yet another broken window.

No silver hair; not Inuyasha.

Kagome watched the first body fall, face down. The demon was still alive though, since it would take a lot more than a two-story fall to kill them. She grimaced, barely hesitating when she saw the demon try to stand up, the symbol for the Arachnid group clear on its clothing. She fired twice, hitting each knee and watching as the monster fell.

Another demon soaring, no silver, and Kagome didn't hesitate with letting out another two shots – both knees again. Tabbing at her communication radio, Kagome opened the channel to FANG's operation base. "H342 to FANG, requesting back up. GPS signal intact, awaiting–" A crash from another window, the sound of Inuyasha yelling in her ears and Kagome shifted to shoot the newly fallen demon on the ground. "Awaiting Medical, Crisis and R&D teams."

The voice on the other end was bland, but Kagome knew how it worked. "Your mission status?"

"Engaged."

"You were told to not engage," the operator stated.

Kagome clenched her jaw shut. "I'm aware, Operator."

"ETA is fifteen minutes. Standby."

There was no more to say so Kagome waited for the next body to fall, praying that it wouldn't have silver hair.

"Agent Higurashi?" Inuyasha voice sounded somewhat strangled, like he was choking. "Far window, shoot."

Kagome tried to get a visual but couldn't see anything. 'Far window' wasn't exactly detailed information either. "I don't have a visual. I need better description than–" _There_. Pressing against the window was the clear mark of a spider, the symbol for Arachnid. Kagome lined up the shot, exhaling before pulling the trigger.

"_Fuck_!"

"Inuyasha, report damn it," Kagome urged, wondering what the hell happened. He told her to shoot and in the field you don't give orders that aren't meant to be followed. She learned that the first time the hard way. "Report to me, you _infuriating ass_."

"Calm the fuck down, Higurashi. Your bullet just has me covered in blood." He paused, momentary. "Of the other demon, of course. Good aim."

If the half-demon had been in her line of sight, she would've shot him too. "You completely went against my orders," Kagome snapped into the line. She hoped his ear bud was ringing in those fuzzy, triangular ears. "Do you realize what position you've put me in?"

Inuyasha didn't reply – of course he didn't – but merely jumped out of the second story window and landed softly on the ground. She could hear his soft pant of breath, could see through the scope that he was inspecting the breathing bodies of the demons, all unable to do much more than crawl and not getting anywhere fast. Inuyasha kicked one of them, stepped on the other with his head down. "You hit each knee."

"I couldn't have them running and we need them alive," Kagome replied. She moved to get up, putting down the sniper rifle and starting to pack it away. Medical, Crisis and R&D teams would be there soon to oversee the mess. She wanted to get her own personal look at the inside before Director Kyouda demanded to know everything that went down.

"You shot both knees on the other one too." Inuyasha sounded confused almost. "How many shots did you let off?"

"Including or not including what I aimed at the window to stop your sorry ass from falling to the ground?"

"Not including."

Kagome didn't need to count. The sound of each fire still rang in her head. "Seven: six knee shots and one head shot. Why?" She was almost sorry she packed away the scope. Looking down from the rooftop wasn't particularly helpful because she was up four stories and Inuyasha's expression was generally unreadable anyways.

"You didn't miss," Inuyasha stated.

Kagome smiled to herself. "I never miss."

She didn't want to talk to him anymore, so she pulled out the earpiece and tucked it into her field suit. Finishing up, Kagome left the rifle on the roof for the other agents to get, heading down the flights of the fire escape to get towards the half-demon. She should have known Inuyasha would be a little more difficult to ignore than that.

"You took out your ear bud," Inuyasha pointed out, leaning casually against the metal and blocking the final set of stairs down. "That's not professional."

"You're not a professional, so I thought I'd treat you the same way," Kagome replied firmly, getting as close to him as she could without breaking too much personal space. "I need to see the inside of the building so I can somehow clean up this mess you've created. Now move."

Inuyasha glared at her, his golden eyes searching for something. "Why don't you miss? You trained or something for it?"

"We'll say I've been doing it for a long time," Kagome answered simply, "and leave it at that."

The half-demon paused, glaring at her for mocking him but letting her get by anyways. Kagome didn't spare him another glance – not with the way he'd been acting, not with the way he purposely broke the rules and disobeyed her. Now she had to take in the situation and figure out a way to best explain what had happened.

The building wasn't large and that helped. Kagome's search of the first floor was light, nothing compared to the second floor where everything was. A human, long since dead, was lying in the corner. Her blood was drained, her skin that awful colour and shrivelled like a raisin. It was clear she had died due to exsanguination, although why was another matter entirely. There was a glass room with one wall completely damaged, the place where Inuyasha had obviously stormed in. Alarm lights were flashing but in the middle of the glass room were tests of all kinds, locking up in hazard cases or being monitored. There was also a rather large hole.

Getting closer, Kagome examined it, realizing that it was walled on all four sides. It travelled to the bottom of the first story, dirt sitting at the floor from what she could tell. It looked almost like a well, except that it existed on the second floor of a building. It made…no sense.

The sounds of sirens drew her out of her thoughts. Without a doubt her backup request from FANG was finally here. She was barely five steps out of the building when a car abruptly stopped a few feet away from her, two FANG employees stepping out. Kagome froze on the spot, hands clenching at the sight. Agent Miroku Tsujitani had been driving, his familiar blue eyes looking around before finally landing on her. There was a smile there, small but sure and Kagome had looked only a second before she had to turn away. Thankfully, Director Kyouda was distraction enough, scowl firmly in place.

"Agent Higurashi," Kaede started, forcing the young, black-haired woman to step closer. Kagome felt the tension, could see how Miroku shifted awkwardly to the side. "I want a report now. Verbally, before you're so swamped with paperwork you'll have to swim out of your office."

This was it, the moment where she could explain every single thing that went wrong. How Inuyasha didn't listen to her, how he completely disobeyed orders and went into the building without a visual and only the sound of a strange hum. Kagome turned briefly, her chocolate brown eyes landing on the half-demon. Inuyasha was standing not too far away, arms cross with a smirk on his face. He looked…smug. Challenging. He looked like he was waiting for her report, for the lecture that would surely follow about how he'd be in trouble yet again.

It suddenly occurred to her.

Kagome frowned, seeing Inuyasha's stance for what it was – _a challenge_. He _wanted_ her to complain. He _wanted_ her to tell on him, to get him in trouble, to keep up his reputation as the bad boy hero that just couldn't be saved. Inuyasha _wanted_ her to break up their partnership, call it ruined and terminate it. Well, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"Higurashi, I won't ask again," Kaede warned.

"The situation was under control at all times," Kagome said firmly, looking Kaede square in the eye. She could lie with the best of them – her whole life was a lie considering she worked for a top-secret government organization to save the human race – and this was no exception. Kaede was a terrifying woman but Kagome wouldn't let it get to her. If Inuyasha wanted a challenge, he would get one. "Rumours regarding Arachnid bases were true. While investigating the area, Inuyasha was able to smell the scent of demons while surveying on top of the roof of this building. I was maintaining visual of the surrounding area on the rooftop directly across, and saw what appeared to be a human hostage at the hands of some demon. With a potential hostage situation I had no choice but to act and disregard the engagement order. I fired six rounds into the second story window and Inuyasha was able to get in. Fighting commenced and Inuyasha was able to take down four Arachnid operatives. I was able to incapacitate three of the demons with shots to the knee and made the kill shot to the final Arachnid who Inuyasha was struggling with. There is an unknown project in the second story. The human hostage was already dead – has been for at least a week. Medical will have to have the specialists look at what the cause of death was but I'd bet exsanguination."

For the longest moment, Kaede gazed at the field agent. It was inscrutable, so difficult to determine what the older woman was truly thinking. There was the tiniest flicker, that wise grey eye looking at Inuyasha before Kagome, a ghost of a smile on her lips. "Don't forget the paperwork, Agent."

"No ma'am," Kagome replied.

Kaede turned around, her hand pressing to the radio on her shoulder as she barked out orders. Teams swarmed the building, the demons bleeding on the asphalt being hoisted and taken away. Only two of them had to be tasered, so it was a win.

Kagome felt more than heard Inuyasha's looming presence over her shoulder. She turned around, looking up at the six-foot tall demonic hero with a blank, unreadable expression. Inuyasha was a half-demon and she had read his file – his hearing was far above average and he would have definitely heard the conversation between her and the director. Kagome let her lips twitch up. "I'll expect your field report on my desk by the morning."

Inuyasha's golden gaze was hard. "You lied."

"I saved your ass."

"So what, I owe you now, is that it? Do you want to play some sort of game?" Inuyasha snarled. His voice was quiet but the barely restrained anger was there. He had issues – big ones.

"Not at all, Inuyasha," Kagome said lightly, holding up her hands. "You took down three demons and set up a kill shot. We've successfully located one of Arachnid's hidden labs."

"I disobeyed you for the fucking _fun_ of it," Inuyasha pointed out unnecessarily. "And you're going to reward me?"

The smile that crossed her face was completely genuine and Kagome wasn't afraid of showing it. "I'm going to punish you for it because insubordination gets agents and heroes killed. But while this isn't a game to me, it clearly is to you. I don't know what deep-rooted issue is the cause for your absurd, insulting disregard for authority but as long as you're with me, I'm not going to let you win. Disobey me all you want and I'll take the hit. This is your game Inuyasha, so challenge accepted."

The half-demon growled, taking a dangerous step closer. "You have the unfair advantage. I don't even know your name, _Agent Higurashi_."

Just as fast as it came, the smile went. "This is _your_ game, not mine. You started it without knowing my name so it'll end that way. As a demonic hero with no codename by your choice, I know yours by necessity. This is a professional relationship; boundaries don't get crossed."

Inuyasha's resulting smirk was almost terrifying. "I don't play fair."

"You're petty enough, so I figured." Turning on her heel, Kagome made her way towards the building. Kaede had just entered and Miroku was busy with the Arachnid captures so she didn't want to go anywhere near that. She would settle for the second story finding instead.

* * *

**Feedback would be so greatly appreciated. **

**I hope the warnings didn't scare too many people off - I'm just painfully aware I have younger, impressionable readers that I don't want to terrify, as well as adults with triggers. So, I rather warn.**


	2. Chapter Two

**Author's Note: **So, I love you all. So much.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha. I do not profit from this story.

**Chapter Warnings: **AU, explicit language, violence, hints of torture.

* * *

**What You're Falling On**

**Chapter Two**

* * *

_July 20__th__, 2009_

_Day 1_

* * *

Kagome was aware long before she opened her eyes. There was a repetitive sound echoing against the walls. It was dripping, intervals maybe three seconds apart. The room was cold, her body hurt everywhere and her head _pounded_, like she had been run over by a freight train.

It was the moan that forced her eyes open, the sound of Miroku stirring enough to have her shift her head and look around. It hurt – there was natural light streaming through extremely high windows – and for a moment the room spun dangerously.

"Awake, are we?" The voice was deep, chuckling darkly as the sound of footsteps approached. Kagome slowly tried to look towards her captor, brown eyes blinking hazily. Something wasn't quite right; her mind was too slow. How long had she been knocked out for? "Hey," the man continued, kicking her in the chest. Kagome bit the inside of her cheek to stop from flinching. "Can you speak?"

Instead of responding she glared.

The man shrugged, looking completely pleased with her answer regardless. "Maybe he'll do better. What do you think?" Another man stepped out from the side, grabbing Miroku by the hair and tossing him into the wall. Miroku grunted, eyes opening in blurry focus as he finally snapped to attention. It didn't help anything – he was bound just like she was – and he couldn't have stopped the kick that was aimed at his chest.

"Miroku, no!" Kagome watched as Miroku got pummelled, absolutely horrified. Of all of her three years at FANG, she had never prepared for the fact that she would be kidnapped. She wasn't of a high enough rank – a team leader but not considered a senior agent. She led an experienced team and conducted their movements, but she merely followed orders from the senior agents. Now a gasp escaped her lips, the fear trickling into her veins. That was real and it was happening now.

What would they want from her?

Miroku was coughing up blood and Kagome struggled, failing miserably as she watched her friend get destroyed. She was helpless to do anything but scream, and she couldn't let herself do it. She had already given far too much away. Her initial scream – _saying his first name_ – it all translated to a close relationship. She had dropped the ball already.

"I don't want him dead anymore than you do," the Arachnid said. "So just tell me: where's your base located at? That's all I want to know. You can even give me geographic coordinates, draw me a map, send me a voice recording. I don't particularly care."

Kagome kept her mouth shut. She knew how this was supposed to go but the demon already had leverage on her. She hadn't been careful enough with her emotions when Miroku had been first attacked and now she was going to pay for it.

"Just tell me what I need and you and your friend can go home."

They weren't going to get out of it alive, no matter what happened. Kagome kept her mouth shut.

Miroku was thrown again, his back cracking into a cement block. There was a small sound of pain but Kagome knew he was holding it back. He'd been military for years before joining FANG. He understood torture.

She didn't.

"We can make a deal," the demon persisted. He bent down, sitting on his heels while his red eyes glared at her wickedly. "All you have to do is tell me and you go free."

It was a lie. All of it.

"FANG agents do not negotiate. We aim for the greater good of humanity, the greater good of the world. FANG agents do not negotiate." The words were well-practiced, engrained into her brain from training. It was practically the first line in their handbook.

The demon in front of her smiled. "I thought so."

The next time Miroku was attacked, he finally did scream.

* * *

_Present Day_

_September 10__th__ 2012_

* * *

The morning following their first mission, Kagome was at the office long before six a.m., having already finished the necessary paperwork and sent it off. There were numerous other tasks for her to do, mundane things all field agents needed to accomplish on a daily basis. Her transfer notice had already come in and she'd be moving over to HQ for her new office later that evening.

A single rap on the door came, followed briskly by the opening of the office door. Kagome opened her mouth to protest – she hadn't told whoever was on the other side to come in – but shut it abruptly at the sight of long, untamed silver hair and golden eyes. "Sorry, did I interrupt?" the half-demon asked, looking about as sorry as a smug criminal.

"You wait for confirmation before coming in," Kagome said sharply, brown eyes going towards his hand where a single piece of paper was held. "What is that?"

"My field report," Inuyasha replied, smirking. He stepped forward and placed it on the desk. "So, what's up?"

Kagome glanced at the paper, seeing the terrible scrawl that she probably couldn't read and the fact that all of the answers were no more than five words long. "Redo it."

"No thank you. I don't do paperwork," Inuyasha retorted. "I've got training so I'll see you if we get any calls."

"You're not training at all if you don't redo it," the handler noted, staring at him for only a moment more before turning towards her laptop. "I'd advise you to listen to me."

"Right, because that's going to happen." The half-demon rolled his eyes, sauntering out of the office without more than a glance back.

Kagome shook her head the tiniest bit. For a demonic hero, he wasn't exactly bright. He'd learn soon enough to do what she asked. As his handler, after all, she had every right to lock his access code and key card out of the system. That meant he couldn't gain access to any of the training rooms or the weapons room where the Tetsusaiga rested. That meant without his completed paperwork, all the silver-haired half-demon could do was suck on his thumb and whine like a child.

Unfortunate, that.

When Inuyasha came storming back in later, growling so deep in his throat that it sounded like an earthquake, Kagome paid him no mind. She pointed at his sorry excuse for paperwork, brown eyes never leaving her laptop. She had more important things to do than deal with a five year old brat.

Inuyasha's exit was rather dramatic but when he came back an hour later with a full, seven page report with mostly eligible writing, Kagome gave him no smile but eyes that screamed, _I told you so._

* * *

_September 16__th__, 2012_

* * *

Inuyasha was giving her a look. It boggled Kagome's mind that she already understood that the hero had a _look_ about him. It was even more befuddling how she understood what it meant. She glared at him to stop the inevitable conversation that was shortly going to ensue anyways. It was a pain in the ass that they had flown all of the way to the stupid _desert_ and the goddamn agent they were supposed to meet hadn't shown up to give them the information they were supposed to gather.

Kagome was more than just a little frustrated. Dealing with Inuyasha the entire jet ride had been bad enough, but waiting in disgusting, suffocating heat was enough to make her eat sand. She could only keep her composure for so long.

"He's not going to show."

Kagome bit her lip to contain a sigh. "Stop talking Inuyasha. We're working. I said _radio silence_."

"What's your first name?" Inuyasha tilted his head innocently, not moving from his spot just eight steps behind the field agent. He was her backup, even though she could take care of herself. "It's probably something boring. Oh, don't tell me you have one of those pseudo names so that your true identity isn't discovered."

Choosing not to respond, Kagome surveyed their surroundings. She narrowed her gaze when just ahead of her she could see a black Hummer driving their way. The speed wasn't all that fast, but every muscle in her body tensed. "Inuyasha, I want you ready for anything."

"I was born ready."

She was going to throttle him soon if he didn't stop saying the most annoying things. Kagome couldn't afford to waste seconds by looking at the half-demon though, already knowing he probably had a smug smirk on his face. She shook her head, trying to clear thoughts of the silver-haired hero away. She couldn't afford to be distracted.

The Hummer was now well in her sight, coming closer at the same steady speed. It didn't seem dangerous – not too fast like the agent was running away or too slow that the guy was probably dead behind the wheel – but Kagome had been in calmer situations before that ended up with people hurt. She squinted, seeing the male agent with a calm expression as he pulled closer.

"Something's not right," Inuyasha said quietly, oddly discrete for the first time since their partnership started. The only reason Kagome heard him was because of the earpiece.

She turned her head ever so slightly, acknowledging the half-demon's comment without being too obvious. Kagome could feel it too. The agent was forty minutes late, something that never should have happened. She would bet everything she had that something would go wrong before the meeting was all over. Her hand remained calmly at her side but the urge to touch her gun was almost too strong. She had to wait this out, assess the situation no matter how much she just wanted to get out of it throwing red flags everywhere.

When the vehicle stopped no more than twenty feet away, Kagome held her breath, waiting. The male agent slowly stepped out, shutting the door and then adjusting his black suit. It was a standard black suit that most desk agents wore. Kagome winced, realizing she missed her business suit compared to the tight, battle-ready suit she had on now. The man got closer, smiling. "Agent Higurashi, it's great to see you again."

"You're late, Agent Kuranosuke." Might as well not beat around the bush; generally, that was what got people dead. "Was there a problem?"

"Agent Yajima was being her usual self. Screaming and throwing a fit to ruin everyone's lives but her own." The man took another few steps closer and Kagome noticed something strange about the way he was walking. It was a perfectly straight line, Agent Kuranosuke's body a direct cover from the driver's side of the Hummer. He was either hiding something or–

The quick ping of glass breaking had Kagome moving. There was blood on her face, the agent in front of her dropping with his mouth open. Another ping and Kagome was drawing her gun, pain searing through her right arm. Holy _shit_ that hurt.

"Higurashi!" Inuyasha yelled.

She wasn't sure exactly where the half-demon was but her focus was on the Hummer, her gun level despite the pain in her arm as she fired over and over. There was absolutely no cover in this freaking desert so she stepped back, hoping to get back to their sedan. Kagome heard the dull thud of bullets landing near her, too close for comfort, _and where was Inuyasha_? She risked her gaze from her target, hoping to all hell that the half-demon wasn't already dead. Director Kyouda would _kill_ her if she'd somehow gotten their 'greatest potential hero' killed on a basic, information-gathering mission. So far, there seemed to be trend with all of their easy missions turning into something a lot worse and a whole lot deadlier.

Then there was a shout, loud in her ears and Kagome finally caught sight of Inuyasha. The half-demon held out the Tetsusaiga, the sword already transformed into something large, mighty and unbelievably intimidating. Inuyasha jumped, flying in the air and dodging bullets shot his way. From what Kagome could tell there was only one shooter, somewhere in the back of the Hummer. A bullet pinged off of Tetsusaiga and Inuyasha let a growl rip out of his throat as he crashed down on the truck. There was the loud, unmistakable sound of metal screeching, things popping and Kagome could only watch in horror as Inuyasha landed on the black Hummer with his sword buried deep inside of it. Without warning the vehicle exploded, fire and smoke blasting from the scrap metal as Inuyasha was propelled backwards and fell down into the sand.

Kagome cursed, running forward even as the hero picked himself up. "Inuyasha, status," she yelled, eyeing him quickly before heading towards the fallen man, Agent Kuranosuke. Behind her, the Hummer sang with fire and explosions. It was just another day working on the job for FANG.

"I'm fine," the half-demon replied shortly, the Tetsusaiga transforming once more before he sheathed it.

Kagome checked for a pulse on the agent, knowing already that a bullet in the head didn't equal out to much hope. She sighed and stood up, tugging at her long black hair. "Damn it."

Inuyasha came up to her side and shook his head, lips lop-sided in a half-smirk. "That was quite the meeting and _you_ look like utter crap." He stared at her for a moment, a frown slowly starting to form. "You're hit."

Barely sparing it a glance, Kagome saw her torn field suit. It was difficult to see the blood but it was there, dripping slowly down her arm. It was just a graze but it pulsed with discomfort. "I'll have it looked at after."

The half-demon's frown didn't lessen and the concern would've been touching if he hadn't been half-smirking before. "You've got blood all over your face too. That's not…yours?"

Kagome didn't respond, wanting to strangle the silver-haired man in front of her. An agent was down, clearly somehow their mission had been corrupted so the least of her worries was some _blood_. She wiped the crimson liquid on the sleeve of her tight suit, knowing that it was already too late for the field costume. R&D would just have to make another one.

Inuyasha stepped forwards suddenly, grabbing her good arm and pulling her forward. Kagome's first instinct was to punch him, but he was supposed to be her partner and it would hardly facilitate the working relationship they were supposed to have. It was strange, however, when the half-demon merely sniffed at her head, golden eyes shifting down to the fallen body of Agent Kuranosuke. "Not yours then. You could've said."

The handler looked over at Inuyasha, glaring. "You had to have pulled me close for that? I've read your file Inuyasha and I know how well you can pick out scents. Now get back in the sedan and wait for me. I'll radio in for the jet to be ready at the strip when we arrive."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "I have two blood scents both within a foot of me. I'm good but I'm not that good. Although," he murmured, the smirk coming back into place. It seemed a little forced, a little too broad and tight for the usual trademark look though. "I'm flattered you think so highly of me, Higurashi." Suddenly, Inuyasha was jumping into the air, leaning backwards in a flip so that he landed no more than three steps away from the passenger side door. It was infuriating.

"It's _Agent _Higurashi!" she shouted – not _screamed_, like she couldn't control her temper – and all the more hated the fact that Inuyasha was a lot more complicated than just a person who had problems with authority figures, if by the way he gently grabbed her and checked to make sure the blood wasn't hers was any indication.

That part would surely be omitted from the field report.

* * *

Kagome didn't like doctors. It hadn't always been that way, but trauma tended to change things like that.

The doctors and nurses in Medical were all nice enough and the walls were clean enough, so Kagome couldn't point out what exactly it was that got to her. It all hit her at once though when a familiar, curvy figure walked in, limping and carrying a rather large boomerang-shaped weapon.

"Oh, hey," Agent Sango Houko greeted, big magenta eyes looking startled at first before zeroing in on the gauze and bandages around her right arm. "How are you feeling?"

Kagome shrugged, never wanting to be out of the medical centre so badly in her life. "Not too bad I guess." The field agent watched as Sango hobbled over to the other bed in the room, her weapon Hiraikotsu leaning against the nearby wall. Sango was another field operative like Kagome, handling a cat demon. The two of them worked more like a team than a handler with their demonic hero, but not all professional relationships had to be conventional. Sango had some sort of military background – that much Kagome was certain – and the woman with long brown hair tied up in a ponytail was as deadly as any demon of Arachnid could be.

"I heard you were partnered with Inuyasha." Sango's lips twisted, a look that showed concern as much as it did discomfort. "Are the rumours true?"

"Depends on the rumour," Kagome replied evenly. Where was the doctor? She needed out _now_. "He's not that bad just…difficult."

Sango snorted, magenta eyes narrowing from her smile. "That's certainly fact more than rumour." The brown-haired agent sat on the bed, rolling her ankle and mostly concealing her wince at the movement. "Knife wound?"

It was only Sango's brief glance at the bandage that made Kagome realize what the other woman was saying. She shook her head slowly, staring out the door as if doing so would will the doctor to come back. "Bullet graze. Mission gone haywire and all that. I seem to be a magnet for it, no matter what my title is."

"Hey," Sango exclaimed, freezing at her spot on the bed. "You're not referring to 2009 are you? The transport–"

Kagome sent the other woman a look, stopping her words. "Don't, okay?"

"That wasn't your _fault_," Sango persisted. She looked angry, hurt and Kagome couldn't fathom why she looked that way at her. Of all the people, Sango would understand. The love of her life almost died because of her. Someone else actually did. "You know it wasn't. It was supposed to be a basic retrieval. It was a trap and if it was anyone's fault then it was the agent running the mission that was subsequently fired and sent to the North Pole permanently."

Kagome decided that staring at the door entrance was easier.

"Kagome, don't beat yourself up for something you had no control over," Sango hissed.

Just then, someone walked through the door, although the black-haired field agent wasn't sure if it was a curse or a blessing. Inuyasha stood there, arms crossed and a guarded expression on his face. What had he heard? What did he know? Kagome felt her chest tighten uncontrollably and it was getting far too difficult to breathe. This was exactly what she didn't need – Inuyasha to have leverage on her so early in their partnership. It would be over before anything could actually begin.

"You ready to blow this shit storm?" Inuyasha asked, nodding his head briefly at Sango before his golden eyes returned to his handler. "I'm fucking sick of being poked at."

"Your language disgusts me," Kagome commented lightly, standing up anyways. Truth be told, she would much rather read Inuyasha the field manual for a bedtime story than sit there and listen to Sango preach something already three years old. 2009 had been her last mission as a field agent – until recently when Kaede promoted her back into the position with seniority. "Did you harass the nurses?"

"I didn't need a damn nurse," Inuyasha replied, scowling. "I didn't get touched."

"Oh no, a truck only exploded with you on top of it," Kagome replied blandly, knowing the sarcasm wouldn't go unnoticed. "Your medical report has probably already been sent to my email so if there's anything I should know now, tell me."

Inuyasha smirked. "Nope."

He had punched the doctor who tried to take off his shirt to examine any possible fractured ribs and then apparently terrified a poor nurse into giving up Kagome's medical room number. While no one could confirm, it had looked like there was severe bruising before the doctor got knocked out.

Kagome wasted no time. Inuyasha's key card log showed that he exited the training centre facilities five minutes ago, and chances were he was showering in the change room. Realizing that Inuyasha needed to grow up, she stormed into the men's change room, ignoring the wide-eyed, confused looks of five other agents before heading towards the showers. Only one of them was running.

Drawing back the curtain in a flourish, Kagome zeroed in on his chest and the spectacular bruising. It looked almost like an ugly painting; green, purple and yellow mingled in a cloud-like pattern across his ribs. Kagome estimated at least two fractured ribs.

"The fuck are you doing, wench?" Inuyasha snapped, not even having the modesty to cover himself. He merely glared at her, horrified and just as confused as the other men had been.

"You're a child," Kagome stated. "Next time you punch out a doctor, I'll revoke training with weapons for a week. I dare you to try me." With that said, she turned and started to head out of the change rooms. "Call me a wench again and I'll double that offer," she called out.

She almost wished he would be so stupid.

* * *

_September 17__th__, 2012_

* * *

"So Kagome, huh?"

Kagome closed her eyes, hand clenching on the pen. "What did I tell you about knocking?"

"It was open," Inuyasha stated, matter-of-factly. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were waiting for me."

That comment wasn't even worth responding too. Kagome finished the last three signatures required for her last injury report so that the field documentation could be submitted to Kaede that afternoon. Whatever drugs Medical had given her yesterday were starting to wear off and her right arm was tingling painfully. There was always the week's worth the doctor had prescribed but Kagome had never really been one for painkillers.

"Kagome Higurashi," Inuyasha said, her name rolling off of his tongue like he was tasting it. "I kind of like the sound of that."

"Get out, unless you actually came here with some sort of purpose." She didn't have to look up to know the smirk was back in place. Damn Sango for even bothering to talk to her in the first place. Now that Inuyasha knew her name, Kagome could only imagine what the half-demon would come up with.

"I know you're only snapping at me because I found out your secret. Now the playing field is even," Inuyasha said, far too proud for something so insignificant. Kagome wanted to call him out on it, tell him that this was far from a game. Lives were at stake and Arachnid was only getting smarter. They had been lucky with finding the well from the building that week ago, but the scientists were at a complete loss for what it was. Tests of all sorts were being run and yet nothing was remotely conclusive. The Arachnid demons they'd captured had been less than cooperative, even given the…_conditions_ they were being submitted to.

"My name is not a secret or else you still wouldn't know it," Kagome pointed out. "Calling me by my first name at an organization like this changes things, makes it more personal. That's dangerous in this line of work."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, scoffing loudly as he flopped into the chair across from her. She pointedly ignored how he put his feet up on her desk. "What, just because I know your name makes you think I care about you now?"

"You cared enough to search it out in the first place and to bring it to my attention now, so yes, you moron. It does change things." Kagome stared at the finished documentation, realizing that she couldn't be in this position again. She'd walk the report down to Kaede's office herself rather than have another junior agent do it. "I have to leave so you have six seconds to get out."

Inuyasha frowned, lowering his feet and leaning forwards. His clawed hands rested on the top of her desk, tapping impatiently on the surface. "Does this have something to do with that 2009 thing Agent Houko mentioned? Is that why you're such a bitch?"

She slipped again, letting her hesitation clearly show for the half-demon to see. It was weak of her to allow that to happen and Kagome clenched her jaw so hard her teeth hurt. "One week suspension from the weapons arsenal, effective immediately. I warned you not to piss me off Inuyasha, and now you've done it. I hope you're pleased with the progress you've made."

"What?" Inuyasha yelled, standing up in anger. "What the fuck for?"

"You will not call me degrading names while I am your handler. Show some respect for the person who has your back," Kagome spat, voice dangerously low. "Now, _out_."

Inuyasha thought it over for a moment, hands tightened into fists. "You said that sentence applied to 'wench' before, not 'bitch'–"

"Which is why I only gave you a one week suspension instead of two, like I had promised," Kagome interrupted. She placed the stack of papers in an envelope, grabbing her keys and making her way around the desk. When Inuyasha still hadn't moved, she sighed. Being partnered with him was more defeating than anything else. "What do you want from me, Inuyasha?"

The silver-haired half-demon stared at her for a moment, his mouth opening before it shut with a click. Before she could ask again he was gone, a flash out of the doorway and lost down the hall.

Kagome locked her office, telling herself that it was all worth it. Saving lives was worth it. It didn't matter that it seemed impossible for one thing to go right in her life. Maybe – just maybe – Kaede had been wrong for hiring her in the first place. Her purification powers weren't all that strong anyways.

* * *

_September 19__th__, 2012_

* * *

For two days, Kagome hadn't seen Inuyasha in person. Sure, she'd watch him from the video feed and track his daily logs. He didn't do much more than train, shower and then head to his room located in the west block of campus. FANG owned a large land, with numerous buildings that looked quite industrial on the outside. There weren't many visible upwards stories, most of the labs and departments in the basements beneath. It was harder to attack something you couldn't physically see and FANG relied on that. No one knew what their campus was, what it did. Anyone who tried to find out was handed flyers and given a long, exasperating spiel on something about something that more often than not confused everyone. Arachnid didn't know of their location – no agency did. As far as FANG knew, Arachnid had never tried attacking the actual base, although one agent had been _released from duty_ for suspicions of double-crossing. Where they released the past employee was an unknown location, although probably in a cave somewhere with a lot of bombs and demonic activity.

Snitches didn't survive when the organization they once belonged to was FANG. FANG had immunity and means from most of the countries. There were a select few that refused the allowance of 'fighting for good' demons, because a lot of people believed that the race was entirely bad. Minds couldn't be changed and when they were abused and taken over during the race war that was sure to come, FANG would try to help out as much as possible given their restrictions.

Currently she was down in the training centre, focusing on her target. She'd been at this for three hours already, her hands sore and a little bloody. Her wrist guard felt too tight and there would be bruises underneath, she knew. Still, it didn't stop her concentration. She breathed, exhaled and then let the arrow fly.

Bullseye.

Kagome never missed her target.

Archery was something she had done from a young age. Her grandfather had taught her – her father's father – and it had been a skill she never let go of. It was therapeutic, relaxing, and whenever Kagome was thrumming with adrenaline or unable to sleep she would come down to the training centre and practice. Checking the time, Kagome realized she had just enough arrows and just enough time to set out a course. If she was going to finish, she might as well do it strong.

It took a few minutes to set up – whoever last used the targeting program messed up a few of the action codes. Kagome tapped at the computer program at the far side of the field where a protective booth was set up. It monitored all of the executable programs the training centre could provide, including fitness courses and attacking mechanisms. All Kagome wanted to do was shoot some targets. When it was all set up, Kagome watched the large, electronic countdown clock at the far wall. Bow in hand and quiver on her back, the black-haired woman felt her muscles tense, ready and thrumming with anticipation.

The green light flashed on and Kagome sprinted off, nocking an arrow, aiming and letting it fly. She dodged as a false-laser swiped down, just missing her left side. Another target and in one second an arrow flew, landing. She ran, faster and faster, not stopping as she let another two arrows go and hit different targets. Suddenly the ground shifted, rumbling and Kagome jumped into the air, landing on the dirt-like terrain the training centre provided. Her right arm throbbed a little as she rolled, another false-laser narrowly missing her feet before she kicked up. Five targets appeared, rapidly hiding and Kagome didn't think, merely drawing, nocking, aiming and letting them fly in rapid-fire succession. With four down, the last target unexpectedly shot out, heading towards her at a speed completely surprising. Kagome twisted her body as it came close, summoning her power and shooting once more as she pushed herself into the air, landing on her back in the dirt once again.

"_Targets hit_," the automatic voice chimed in. The whirring of machines indicated that all of the targets were reappearing into sight. Kagome couldn't see much from her position on the ground, her heart beating wildly fast with the adrenaline rush shooting an arrow always gave her. "_Twelve-point-fifty-three seconds." _

That was better than her last go.

The sound of slow clapping had Kagome sitting up at attention, body ridged. No one but employees of FANG, both human and demon, could be in here, but the thought of someone watching her was unsettling. The feeling intensified when she saw her viewer, the half-demon staring at her with a blank expression and unreadable golden eyes.

She hated him.

"How long have you been watching?" Kagome demanded, despising how out of breath she sounded while she stood up. Her arm hurt and the field agent considered the fact that maybe taking the painkillers tonight wouldn't be so bad.

"Long enough," Inuyasha replied. He made a show of looking around. "You hit them all dead centre while manoeuvring like you had the fucking devil on your ass. I never knew you had it in you."

"I'm capable in the field," Kagome stated briskly, feeling her hackles rise. Today was not a good day to test her patience and control. "If you had bothered to read the file you'd have known."

The half-demon shrugged, completely unabashed. He walked forwards, stopping too close to her as his gaze settled on the final target not five feet away. "Purification powers too."

"Also in the file," Kagome pointed out unnecessarily. She didn't know what else to say.

"You can transfer your powers to weapons?" Inuyasha asked. For the first time he actually looked curious. There wasn't anything on his face to suggest an ulterior motive. He seemed…_sincere_.

"Only my arrows," the field agent replied, looking down at the recurve bow. "I have a harder time with bullets." Kagome didn't know why she was explaining it out for him when he could clearly read up on it himself if he truly cared. Maybe it was because she hadn't seen him for a few days, not since their argument in her office. "I can't get the timing right to pass off the energy."

"And what does it do, burn from inside?" the half-demon further inquired.

Kagome shrugged. She let go of the bow with one hand, looking at it. She knew her purification powers stemmed from there, little pink blasts of it could form on her palms if she focused hard enough. "I've never seen it but I know the basic theory. Demons heal quickly, sometimes making kill shots nearly impossible. If you shoot a demon with a regular bullet and hit a potentially fatal area, the demon can live if that area heals faster than the necessary blood loss for death. If, however, my purification powers were to be transferred over, where the bullet went through would actually burn whatever demonic flesh it touched. That can't be reversed so the demon would be unable to heal itself and therefore…well, die."

Inuyasha raised a brow. "Ever used them on a demon before?"

"Maybe," Kagome replied. "That's classified and above your pay grade."

"Your access is higher than mine?" Inuyasha asked, almost offended. "Why?"

"Just that particular case." The black-haired woman shook her head, slowly heading towards the booth of the training centre. She would just have to reset it before she could leave. It was late now, long past dinner time. Her body was tired, muscles loose and well-used from the strenuous training. She figured eating wasn't even necessary, that she'd pass out the moment her head touched the pillow.

A warm hand was abruptly on her shoulder and Kagome stopped, head tilting to see Inuyasha looking at her with an expression akin to concentration. His brow furrowed for a moment before everything was gone, his face once again carefully blank. "What are your plans for tonight, Kagome?"

"Agent Higurashi," she corrected, though it lacked the usual heat. The small smirk on his face indicated how much he realized she was letting him get away with. "Sleeping probably."

"No food?"

It was Kagome's turn to frown. The half-demon certainly wasn't listed as a mind reader and she didn't like the idea of that either. "I'm not hungry."

"That's too damn bad."

Kagome shook off his hand, righting everything in the booth before heading towards the exit. The change room was directly across the hall, her locker with all of her soap and shampoo calling out to her. Inuyasha was trailing right behind though and it wasn't until Kagome stopped right at the entrance that she realized he was planning on following her in. "What do you think you're doing?"

"You came into the men's and saw me naked. I thought reciprocating would only be fair," Inuyasha replied, shrugging.

"This is what happens when you call someone by their first name," Kagome growled, frustrated. "Do you not understand the concept of a working relationship?"

Inuyasha crossed his arms, looking the very image of defiant with his tense posture. "You have any evidence indicating that it's anything other than that?"

"We need to have objectivity on the field, Inuyasha," Kagome pressed. "I trust you because I have to. Even more, I trust you because I know that you would have my back if something was trying to kill me. But that's it."

"Same here." Inuyasha's glare didn't lessen any.

"Does getting food together stand for anything remotely close to saving the other's back?"

Golden eyes suddenly danced though the rest of him was pretty unreadable. "We can discuss strategies and logistics for how to make our unique skills more cohesive in the field."

"Those were a lot of big words," Kagome mumbled under her breath.

"Want me to dumb it down for you?"

The field agent groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose as she closed her eyes. She wasn't going to win this one because Inuyasha really would follow her inside and she wasn't at a computer to officially lock him out. FANG wasn't normally worried about having their male employees stalk the female ones inside. It was like bathrooms – sexes went where they were supposed to, locks only necessary on the stalls themselves. Showers didn't have locks though.

"We'll discuss killing bad guys the whole time, okay?" Inuyasha murmured, his voice incredibly soft for such a statement. It was almost pleading, only Kagome knew the half-demon well enough to know it was nothing more than a ploy to get what he wanted. Why he wanted to get dinner with her was beyond even her imagination to comprehend.

"Fine," Kagome bit out, feeling her stomach tense up. "Wait for me outside."

"Or–"

"If you come in I will actually shoot you with the gun I keep in my gym locker."

Inuyasha's smirk turned into a full-out grin and Kagome… Well, she didn't really know what to do with that.

She ran into the change rooms instead.

* * *

**Comments to Acknowledge**

_NurNur: _Thank you so much :)

_Vargary: _Well here's the other chapter, so I hope you liked it!

_xsachi: _I'm glad you like it! Thank you hun!

_Vexienne: _Thanks a lot! I hope this chapter met your standards ;)

_BartonA: _I hope this chapter delivered! Thank you so much :D

* * *

**Feedback is love, limited to 10,000 characters. Like always. *hugs***


	3. Chapter Three

**Author's Note: **Technically, it's not Saturday yet. But since you are all so fucking fantastic, I updated. *dances*

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha. I do not profit from this story.

**Chapter Warnings:** AU, explicit language, violence, torture, non-con and major character death. Message me for details if necessary.

* * *

**What You're Falling On**

**Chapter Three**

* * *

_July 21__st__, 2009_

_Day 2_

* * *

She never really went to sleep. It was too difficult, too hard when Miroku was wheezing beside her, barely alive. He was bloodied and broken, crumpled up on the floor. When the beatings had stopped the day before, Kagome squirmed towards his body unable to hold back the single tear the traced down her cheek.

This was all her fault.

Kagome had been the agent of seniority of the two of them. She should've kept her composure from the beginning, not let anything get to her.

But now, as she felt the cool press of metal against her skin, she knew another day was just beginning. The sound of fabric ripping apart made her head jerk up, the demon smiling at her while he tore apart her field suit. The sleeve was soon gone, leaving pale flesh as a blank canvas.

At first, she didn't feel the knife as it sliced through her skin, making its path curved and sloping all the way down. By the time it reached the side of her elbow, her nerve endings were on fire, screaming and making haywire notions flow into her brain. _Stop it. Do something. Run._

Her hands tugged automatically, the metal of the cuffs digging into her wrists. It momentarily distracted her from the pain of the new slice, the way she could feel hot liquid run down her arm. She looked, realizing that it wasn't deep but more than enough to make her bleed. She hissed when the demon grabbed her arm, hauling her up and dragging her across the room to a stack of boxes where she was forced to sit.

"Is she awake?" The same deep voice from before, haunting and wicked, echoed in the chamber. The demon with red eyes appeared, his black hair held back into a loose ponytail. His eyes roamed over her torn suit, seeing the blood that steadily crawled down her arm. "I told you not to have fun with her yet."

The other demon chuckled, looking down at Kagome with something akin to glee. It wasn't until three solid footsteps hit the ground and the impossibly loud sound of breaking bones could be heard that Kagome realized the demon in charge – the one with red eyes – was deadly serious with his claim.

No one was to have fun with her but him.

Kagome didn't like that one bit.

The demon that sliced her stumbled backwards, making a run for it out of the room. It left Kagome alone with _him_, the monster before her, and she kept her lips pressed together so she wouldn't say anything to make the situation worse.

"Help is hard to find these days," the Arachnid demon stated, almost casually like he was speaking of the weather. "You'd be surprised with how many men they've murdered when I specifically told them not to. They're a bit blood-thirsty." The demon grinned then, gaze narrowing on her arm. "As you can see."

Kagome didn't say anything. She stared just over his shoulder at the grimy grey wall. She didn't speak; she didn't talk to terrorist organizations like Arachnid. She was an agent of FANG and she had her duty to uphold.

"Going to stay silent again, are you? It's a pity." The demon crowded in on her space, grabbing her chin roughly so that she was forced to stare at him directly in the eyes. "What's your name?"

No. Don't speak.

"You're wasting my time," the demon murmured, clawed nail dragging across her lower lip. "Tell me your name. Here, I'll even make this easier. You tell me your name and I'll leave your friend alone today. It's only on the table now, so take the deal. I don't think he could handle another beating, do you?"

Kagome felt her throat close. Miroku wouldn't last, not right now. If he had another twenty or so hours, then maybe. He wasn't even conscious yet from yesterday's attack. He was bruised all over, bloody and… And he had something to live for. Sango, if she was alive, would miss him when he was gone.

She didn't have anyone.

Opening her mouth, the demon shushed her quickly. "No false names," he muttered. "I will find out." The look in his eye made it clear that he would.

"Agent Kagome Higurashi of FANG. FANG agents do not negotiate. We aim for the greater good of humanity, the greater good of the world. FANG agents do not negotiate." She bit the side of her cheek to keep her lips from trembling, her fear probably palpable. She was far too weak for this. Not good enough.

"Kagome," the demon purred. He bent down, capturing her lips and biting roughly at her bottom lip.

She struggled, but she was bound by her legs and her wrists and she couldn't move from his grip on her. The first taste of copper had her cringing, making a sound of desperation and horror all at once. Kagome couldn't fight him off.

It wouldn't matter anyway, for seconds later she was doubled over, coughing from the hard punch the demon delivered to her stomach. While she was bent over she was chopped in the neck, falling to the cement floor. Five kicks delivered to her chest, her stomach, her head. Kagome saw stars, but there was no white light, no hope for death to come quickly. She couldn't breathe, chest too tight and _oh god_ she was dying. She was dying and Miroku was barely alive and they were never getting out of this.

She wasn't dying. It took two hours before the Arachnid demon finally let her fall into unconsciousness. In that time, Kagome wished to have never been born.

"FANG agents do not negotiate. We aim for the greater good of humanity, the greater good of the world. FANG agents do not negotiate."

* * *

_Present Day_

_September 23__rd__, 2012_

* * *

If Kagome thought that having Inuyasha buy her a sandwich was going to make him more obedient in the field, she was very, sorely wrong. It wasn't even him _buying _it for her because frankly he didn't. Somehow the woman behind the counter knew him – and _liked him_ _enough_ – to give the sandwiches to him for free. They hadn't even talked, merely walking back to FANG's campus with the food in one hand and the water in the other. She lived in the North block while he lived in the West, so with a half-assed salute the half-demon went down the path leading away.

She knew it hadn't meant anything. Obviously it hadn't because that would be fraternization and there were rules against it. That would be bad.

"I have a visual, Inuyasha. There are two Arachnids at your three o'clock just past the alley entrance. Another five are at your eleven but I'm unable to confirm Arachnid orientation." Kagome lowered the scope, shifting a little. Her elbows hurt. The pads underneath were thin and the cement of the roof was getting to be painful. There was no way she could move though, not without potentially compromising Inuyasha or their position. "Waiting for orders to move in. On my count."

"_Really_?" Inuyasha asked, voice sounding dangerously whiny. "We have to wait for orders?"

"For backup Inuyasha because it is seven against one!" the field agent hissed. She watched him through the scope, saw this whole body twitch with the urge to just go for it. "Don't you dare–"

"One and a half."

"What?"

Inuyasha turned his head, looking in her general area even though she was heavily covered and he most likely couldn't see her. "You count as at least a half, Kagome."

"_Agent Higurashi_," she snapped. "We are on a mission, damn you, and you will not–"

"Yeah, yeah, _Agent Higurashi _I got it."

Kagome gritted her teeth and then looked away from the scope in horror as Inuyasha started to run towards the entranceway of the alley. She bent down, ignoring her elbows in favour for following the half-demon's moves. "Abort, stop it Inuyasha or I will–"

"Hey spider-lackeys," Inuyasha yelled, rapidly approaching the two demons. He jumped into the air, Tetsusaiga transforming on the way down. Kagome didn't see the end result, mostly because her attention turned to the other five demons. They were quickly advancing and Kagome inhaled, exhaled and then started to fire. Her crosshairs were always targeting another and right now she wasn't in the position to merely incapacitate. Her first hit was a shoulder and the next was a head. "Four demons are on their way to you."

"I thought it was five," Inuyasha muttered, panting harshly. There was a loud grunt but Kagome merely found her next target – _down_.

"Three."

Kagome couldn't be sure but she thought she heard a smirk.

Her radio started to crackle to life, the sound of other field operatives coming on scene. "Agent Higurashi, your status."

Kagome sighed. "Engaged."

"You were given orders _not to engage_." By this point, Kagome thought tiredly, they just shouldn't even bother.

"I'm well aware," Kagome replied briskly. "But Inuyasha was found, currently unsure of how."

The radio let out noise and Kagome couldn't be bothered as she tried to find Inuyasha through the scope. He was fighting four demons – one obviously from the original two he attacked – and Kagome tried to sort out the different demons between the crosshairs. She focused, pinpointing one and shooting. The demon fell down dead but another one stopped, turning and staring at where Kagome was located.

"Inuyasha," Kagome said calmly into the earpiece. "This is why you wait for backup." She aimed but before she could pull the trigger the demon jumped, leaving the view of the scope. Kagome cursed, trying to find where the purple demon went. The sound of a too-close growl had Kagome rolling, letting go of the sniper rifle that was far too large to manoeuvre with. She didn't get far, a large clawed hand grabbing at her wrists and pinning them back against the cement roof.

"And what do we have here?" the demon asked, bright red eyes narrowing at her. "Another human tool of FANG's, are we?"

"Go to hell," Kagome hissed, curling her hands down to touch the purple demon's big hand. She concentrated, letting the purification powers flood through. The demon let go, growling out obscenities as Kagome found her chance. She delivered a kick to his stomach, barely forcing him back a few inches but giving her just enough time to get her handgun from her ankle holster. She levelled her arms, about to fire when there was a gust of wind and the blur of a figure running by. Suddenly there were shouts and growls, the purple demon flying through the air and landing just inches away from the roof's edge. Another demon – a FANG operative – moved so fast that Kagome couldn't see much more than a brown blur. The blur stopped on top of the Arachnid's head, punching over and over as blood fell onto the cement. There was one last groan and then the purple demon went lax, knocked out or dead, Kagome couldn't tell.

"Son of a _bitch_," the male FANG demon cursed, standing up with a flourish and turning towards Kagome. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Fine, thanks to you," Kagome commented, running back towards her sniper rifle. She tried to get a good look at Inuyasha, seeing nothing more than a struggle. There were other demons there too now, none of them bearing the Arachnid symbol, making them FANG operatives. She knew them all but her vantage point and the shuffle of demon bodies made it difficult to see the faces. "Inuyasha, status _now_ please."

"All done, Agent," Inuyasha replied, chuckling darkly. There was a pained howl that she could hear and Inuyasha's hum of approval meant that it was to his favour. "Bag and tag?"

Kagome turned around, seeing the bound purple Arachnid demon on the roof with her that was still unconscious. The FANG demon – and she remembered his face to be Kouga, a wolf demon – must have put the enforced cuffs on him. "Next time you decide to be reckless, don't let one of them get away to come eat me, yeah?"

There was radio silence and Kagome was surprised. She had expected at least some witty statement by now.

"Are you okay? You hurt?" There was a strange sound to the usual roughness, something that reminded her of when Inuyasha had been watching her train, convincing her to have some food with him. Telling her that they would talk logistics about battle plans when instead all they did was eat mutely and walk together in what could be considered companionable silence.

"I'm _fine_," Kagome insisted. "What's going on now? I'm headed down there after we get someone to come for the purple giant."

"Clean up. You where you were before?"

"I am. I'll meet you–"

"I'm coming up."

Kagome sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose again. She decided it wasn't worth it, packing up the sniper rifle once more.

"Someone looks exhausted," a male voice said, startling Kagome because it wasn't the half-demon's low rumble. Kouga stood there, arms crossed and a large smile on his face. Blue eyes looked her over, up and down from her kneeling position. "Need a hand?"

"No, I'm good," Kagome said, giving the wolf demon a curious glance. He was tall, long brown hair tied back in a ponytail. He was wearing the standard field suit, all tight sleeveless vest with FANG's logo on the front. His muscles bulged impressively, but Kagome had read his file too – Crisis Centre employees had to be aware of every member on the force – and Kouga wasn't there for fighting but rather speed. "Can I do something for you?"

Kouga laughed, head tilting back towards the sky. "That's a question I'd rather not answer on the clock."

_Subtle_, Kagome thought. "You wouldn't be suggesting breaking rules like fraternization now, would you?"

"Me?" Kouga asked, feigning shock. "I'd never be so bold."

The smile on his grin was cocky, something similar to Inuyasha's smirk. Kagome smiled, wondering if all of FANG's demonic heroes were the same. Although as far as she knew, Kouga didn't have issues with authority figures. "Are you taking the Arachnid down?"

"I can if you want me to," Kouga replied, moving gracefully over to the big purple demon and smacking him on the face. "Come on asshole, let's wake up now."

"Kagome?" Inuyasha's voice was suddenly too close and she turned around, staring up at the half-demon. "Kouga, what the fuck are you doing here?"

The field agent looked between the half-demon and the wolf demon, seeing Kouga's lips curl unhappily. Fantastic, they were well acquainted then.

Kouga grinned, looking at her with sharp blue eyes. "Kagome, huh?"

"It's Agent Higurashi to the _both_ of you," she sighed, glaring at Inuyasha. "Isn't that right?"

The silver-haired man didn't as much as look at her, his eyes focused on Kouga. "Want help there, wolf?"

"Don't think I'll need it," Kouga replied easily. "I'm the one that took him down and saved the beautiful field agent, so I think it's only proper that I finish the job."

"Run along then, why don't you?" Inuyasha sneered, all cocky and about as douche-like as he could get.

Kagome wasn't fond of it and she didn't want to accept it either. If the half-demon had a problem with Kouga then it could be that way off the clock. When they were working, it was about team work to get the job done and to save lives. "Enough already," Kagome stated firmly. "The two of you need to get your crap together and save it for when neither of you are working, got it?"

"Yes, Agent Higurashi," Kouga replied immediately, dragging the only partially conscious demon and not too nicely leaping off the building with him. Kagome was sure that the wolf demon didn't much help to break the fall.

Inuyasha was still sneering, golden eyes fixed over the horizon. "I don't like him," he admitted quietly, voice rough. "He's too cocky for his own good."

"Wow, that doesn't sound like anyone else I know."

Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha shrugged. "He thinks he's better than the rest of us. At least I know different."

"Be that as it may, when you're on the field you need to be a team. There's a bigger goal at play," she reminded him.

"He was flirting with you, wasn't he?" The horror in those golden eyes spoke volumes, about how much he hated the other demon and about something else Kagome didn't want to look into. "I'm going to _kill _him."

Kagome sent him a pointed look and instantly, Inuyasha smirked.

"Off the clock, of course."

* * *

_September 24__th__, 2012_

* * *

Her new office wasn't anything fancy but it was larger than the one she held in the Crisis Centre. The desk was shiny, the desktop in the corner far newer than the one Kagome refused to use in her old place. There was a long leather couch on the far wall, two visitor chairs across from her desk and a large filing cabinet tucked into a corner.

It took her a few hours to settle; there were many files and supplies to transfer over, locks to put into place and new passwords to set up. It was a good time to get things done; she wasn't expecting anything to come up unless a new attack came. There was the possibility that Inuyasha would drop by with a report but knowing him he wouldn't come until later anyways.

She was just about finished when there was a knock at the door. Kagome looked up, hands instantly freezing from their rapid-fire typing on the keyboard at the sight of Miroku and Sango, two agents peering in the doorway.

If only she had somewhere to be.

"Come in," Kagome murmured, trying to keep her voice calm. "Can I help you guys at all?"

"We just came to say hi," Sango murmured, smiling at her gently. "With the new promotion and all, we're glad you finally got moved over with the rest of us."

Kagome felt her stomach tighten, the band in her chest compressing so that she felt like she couldn't breathe. This was impossible. "Thanks," she whispered, clearing her throat. "Uh, you didn't have to come by, really."

"We wanted to," Miroku insisted, stepping inside and looking around. "I think you got a bigger office than I did." Blue eyes danced, a smile tugging at his lips. "I'm glad you're back in the field. You deserve to be here." She didn't think so and Kagome's brown eyes travelled down to his right hand, where the purple cloth and sacred sutra beads were. Miroku caught her gaze, his head instantly shaking. "Kagome–"

"Uh, am I interrupting something?"

Kagome had never been more relieved in her entire life at the sound of Inuyasha's voice. The half-demon was peering over the two's shoulders, being a solid couple inches over Miroku. His golden eyes assessed the room and when the other two agents stepped out of his way, he headed inside. "What do you need?" Kagome asked, raising a brow.

"I have the report that you wanted." Inuyasha waved the documents, putting it on her desk. He turned around abruptly, looking at Miroku and Sango's tense faces. Blue and magenta eyes stared at Kagome, as if they wanted to say a million things but didn't know how. Inuyasha knew a bad situation when he saw one so he slowly sat down on the leather couch, leaning back. "I have a few questions too, about my training schedule." He grinned at her, trying to be that loud and arrogant persona that was rumoured everywhere. He could see the relief in his field agent's eyes, the way her milky browns practically screamed _thank you_.

"We'll see you later," Sango said softly. For a moment, it didn't look like Miroku was going to go. His mouth formed a tight line, eyes defiant even as Sango tugged at his arm.

Kagome bit her lower lip, looking at the black-haired agent uncertainly. She knew that she and Miroku had never talked about it – the shrinks at FANG had often yelled at her for it numerous times – but she couldn't escape the feelings, no matter what they told her. As long as it didn't affect her work, everything was fine.

When the two agents left, Kagome was sitting there, taking in deep breaths and letting the band finally unwind from around her chest. She wasn't proud of this.

"Want to explain what that was all about?" Inuyasha asked, tucking his hands behind his head as he surveyed the woman behind her desk. "Seemed like a pretty delicate situation."

"I don't want to explain anything," Kagome responded, sparing him a brief glance. "Do you actually have questions about your training schedule?"

"No, but I really want to know what that was all about."

"It was nothing."

"Bullshit, try again."

Kagome glared at the half-demon. "No, Inuyasha."

"I'm going to find out," Inuyasha warned her. "One way or another I will figure out what happened."

He probably would, Kagome knew, but she didn't want to be the one to explain it. Let him draw his own conclusions and if in the end he still wanted to work with her, then that was his own business. For now, she had work to do. "Anything else?"

"You're pretty damn stubborn for a field agent that lets her demon partner get away with pretty much everything."

"You save lives and the more you fight with your handler the less time you're out on the field. Maybe one day you'll respect me enough to give a crap, but until then I'll save your ass. You have a tendency to almost get yourself killed."

Inuyasha snorted. "It wouldn't make a difference."

The words were quiet, but they screamed something that Kagome had never picked up on before. She turned to her demon, studying the way his golden eyes were studiously not looking at her now. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing, Agent Higurashi. Nothing at all." With another half-assed salute, Inuyasha stood up and fled her office.

Kagome didn't stop him.

* * *

Her phone rang loudly; it startled Kagome and made her snap her head up. It took her a foggy moment to gather where she was – her office, the new one. She'd been asleep and a quick glance at the clock told her she'd been sleeping for two hours.

Grabbing at the receiver, she tried to hide the tiredness from her voice. "Higurashi."

"Get into the training centre now, Agent," Kaede ordered, her voice unnervingly scary. "And get your damned partner under control before I suspend you both."

The line went dead but Kagome was already hanging up, grabbing her keys and suit jacket to run out the door. The training centre was located in the lowest basement floor of HQ, a quick elevator ride down. She didn't bother with it, taking the stairs and all but jumping the last few. The door to the training centre was only a few feet away but she could hear the screaming from her spot. She swiped her key card, tugging at the door before she even heard the click of the lock flipping and stepping inside.

"You fucking _bastard,_ I'm going to kill you before you can say another goddamn word!" Inuyasha growled, Tetsusaiga slicing down through the air.

"Always the arrogant one," Sesshomaru replied, eerily monotone as he dodged Inuyasha's attack and then plunged his claws into the half-demon's stomach. Inuyasha swore, sounding pained right before he slashed the Tetsusaiga at his older half-brother, making the demon back out of the way.

"Stop it, right now!" Kagome screamed, stepping closer but not daring to get too close. They were going at – blood was flying everywhere, sweat pouring down from their faces – and it wouldn't be difficult for her to become collateral damage. When the two of them didn't seem to be listening to her she ran into the training booth, flipping the microphone switch and transferring her anger there. "Stop what you're doing _now_!"

She watched from the glass, seeing Inuyasha stop mid-swing. His golden eyes turned to her but then his face went carefully blank, mouth agape as he fell to the ground. Sesshomaru was standing over him, hand so deeply dug into Inuyasha's stomach and a green liquid pouring out. _Poison_. Kagome knew Sesshomaru had unique demonic abilities – it was the reason he was the best that FANG had.

And he was killing another agent.

"Sesshomaru, cease and desist, I order you!" Kagome yelled, slamming down the microphone and walking out. She drew her gun, unable to think clearly as Inuyasha's pained groans filled the training centre. "Fucking _back off_!"

The dog demon looked at her, familiar golden eyes horribly cold. He stood up, briefly examining his bloodied hand before levelling a stare at her. "Funny how humans seem to think they have the ability to control what I do." Sesshomaru's lips twitched, not a smile or a frown or _anything_ really. "And worthless half-breeds shouldn't even bother being here. It's a waste of resources."

Kagome was shocked. She knew of Sesshomaru; everyone did. He was FANG's greatest fighter, greatest warrior. He took down enemies of Arachnid that other demons couldn't touch. He took down armies single-handedly. She had heard rumours of how cold he was, how he didn't care about human life. It seemed strange, considering FANG was an organization solely created for the purpose of preserving the human race. The two things didn't add up. "What the hell are you here for then?" she asked, unable to keep the disbelief out of her voice.

"I don't like anyone in particular and FANG has better resources to end this nonsense. The sooner demons and humans get back to not caring for one another, the better the world will be." Sesshomaru's non-bloodied hand touched his sword, the Tenseiga, before looking at his half-brother. "And then there are abominations like him."

Kagome stepped forward purposely, gun still aimed at Sesshomaru. Inuyasha wasn't making a sound now and hadn't been for a while. It unnerved her, making something sit heavy in the pit of her stomach. She flinched when Sesshomaru drew out his sword, growling at her.

"Don't take another step, human. He's already dead."

"What?" Her heart stopped beating. Her head started swimming, words and images playing inside her mind. She wanted to pull the trigger, so damn bad but Inuyasha couldn't be dead. Sesshomaru wouldn't kill his half-brother, right? Sesshomaru fought for FANG, for an organization meant to preserve life, not to destroy it. This didn't add up, none of it did. "What did you do?" she demanded, hearing the scream and shocking herself with how hard it shook.

Sesshomaru's lips tightened minutely, his golden orbs eying the beaten blade of his sword. "I had to teach him a lesson. He had to learn his place," the demon stated, monotone and completely heartless. "I'm not a fan of having my authority questioned. You'd best learn that, Agent Higurashi."

Kagome could only watch as Sesshomaru plunged the Tenseiga into Inuyasha's stomach. She ran forward, firing off a shot to his shoulder. She never missed but the bullet wound didn't stop the demon from cutting Inuyasha, a blue light brightly radiating. She crashed to her knees by the half-demon's head, eyes widening as suddenly the hole in his stomach…disappeared. "Inuyasha?"

His chest was moving. He was breathing. Unconscious, she noted, but breathing.

Kagome stared up at Sesshomaru, switching to the Tenseiga and then back to the demon's face. She didn't know how terrified to be, too confused by the whole situation. There had been fighting and then death and then Sesshomaru's words, so contradictory to his actions that it made her head spin. "What did you do?" she whispered, terrified. She was not one to ever become afraid, but this was an entirely new level that she hadn't planned on.

"I brought him back to life," Sesshomaru stated blandly. "And you shot me. Do it again and I will use this dull blade to cut your throat. Watch yourself, Agent Higurashi." With that, the dog demon turned on his heel and exited the training centre.

Touching his forehead, Kagome moved her fingers deftly to check his pulse. It was steady, strong under her fingertips and Kagome's brown eyes examined his chest. She shifted to the side, the palms of her hands examining the place where a hole caused by Sesshomaru's hand had once been. Sesshomaru's sword…it _healed_ people. It brought them back to life. Sesshomaru had killed his half-brother and then saved him.

_Abomination_. The word rang inside her skull, beating down whatever reasons she created for Sesshomaru's actions. The demon didn't believe that half-breeds should exist, that they were…lesser, somehow. It was disgusting and Kagome took a moment to control the rage simmering just underneath her skin before standing up towards the radio in the training booth. She called Medical first with orders to get down there immediately. Her second call was to Director Kyouda.

Someone was going to pay.

* * *

**Comments to Acknowledge**

_LadySparrow:_ Wow, such nice words. Thank you so much, I hope you enjoyed this one :)

_():_ Well thank you! I'm glad you liked it!

_Chichiro in love101:_ Right now! Generally, updates for this story will be every 7-10 days. It's mostly written, I just have tweaks and edits to make. Thank you!

_Julie:_ Thanks so much darling :D Super happy you like it!

_BartonA: _Thank you for always leaving such sweet reviews :)

_Vexienne: _Well here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed it hun!

* * *

**Feedback is, as always, so greatly appreciated. You guys rock my world.**


	4. Chapter Four

**Author's Note: **You guys continue to blow me away. Here's more.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha. I do not profit from this story.

**Chapter Warnings: **AU, violence, mentions of torture, and dubious-consent.

* * *

**What You're Falling On**

**Chapter Four**

* * *

_July 22__nd__, 2009_

_Day 3_

* * *

Kagome tried her hardest not to scream. It was there, sitting in the back of her throat and just waiting to be let out. Three of her fingers were broken, probably at least one cracked rib. The worst part was that she had it the best.

Miroku wasn't the one they were trying to get information from; it was her. She couldn't tell why but she figured it had something to do with the way Miroku held himself, protected himself even while having the shit beaten out of him. He had intense training for this. Kagome remembered a story from him, where he had been held as a hostage for two days of intense, drug-related torture before his team had found him.

He knew how to protect himself, even when he was dying bit by bit.

The demon that was leading the torture was named Gatenmaru. He had told her right before smashing her head into the wall and making her black out for the better part of the morning. She had woken up to Miroku's screams as they stabbed him over and over, in non-lethal areas that would look worse than they actually were. It didn't matter much anyways – he was losing too much blood and soon they'd be dead.

Kagome was surprised when they had been given water. She bitterly realized it was just to torture them some more, but even the scraps of bread crusts and meat bones helped. She wasn't dying, not yet. She wanted to, but she couldn't.

Miroku was still alive and she had to try and save him, no matter what. He had someone to return to.

Gatenmaru had left them for a few hours, water being put into a large dish so they could drink out of it like dogs. Kagome let Miroku have the most of it because he was the one getting the worst of the attacks.

"I'm sorry," Miroku mumbled, his voice too rough even after the water. "I'm so sorry."

Kagome stared at him incredulously, feeling the tears that wanted to fall burn behind her lids. "What the hell are you talking about?" she whispered fiercely. "None of this is your fault if anything it's mine. I'm the one that's supposed to keep you out of these positions!"

The blue-eyed man shook his head. Kagome would give anything to see that cocky smile he had been wearing before, the one he showed her just minutes before they were captured. "If I hadn't been so focused on getting to _her_…"

"You were–"

"No," Miroku interrupted, shaking his head once harshly. "This is exactly why the fraternization rule exists. I wasn't doing my job and was blind to the danger around us. I made you focus on her too when you had everything else to think about."

"Stop," Kagome whispered. She inched her way closer to him, letting her head rest on his shoulder. Her nose was buried in his neck and she felt the field agent sag against her. "You love her, and I could never stand in the way of something like that. I looked the other way because you deserved to be happy."

Miroku nodded numbly. "It doesn't really matter now, does it?"

"It does," Kagome replied back. She had lost hope but she wouldn't let him. He had a future, she knew it. "It will always matter to the both of you and I've always been lucky enough to have you as my friends." She let the words hang in the air, the moment solely between them. "That's against the regulations too, you know. I'm only supposed to lead this team, not befriend them."

"You're not a machine," Miroku muttered. "You're allowed to have friends."

"And you," she stated back, "are allowed to fall in love."

Kagome didn't mention that she would probably die never knowing what that felt like, that her last kiss would be from the demon whose hands would be covered in their blood.

That didn't matter though because right now, they had this.

* * *

_Present Day_

_September 25__th__, 2012_

* * *

She expected that it would only be a matter of hours, but Kagome had always been relatively surprised by Inuyasha. The half-demon was sitting in her office – how he had gotten in while the door had been locked, she had no clue – lazing about on the leather couch like he belonged there. Masking the shock, Kagome set her face into a scowl before she moved towards her desk. "What are you doing out of Medical so soon?" she asked, trying to sound impatient.

"You should know that I'm not a good patient," Inuyasha replied tediously, fake yawning into his hand. "How'd your meeting go?"

Kagome froze, hand poised over the power button of her desktop computer. "What meeting?" There was no way that he knew, not in the short amount of time. He'd been at Medical too – an entirely different building full of doctors and nurses, rather than other field operatives. There was no way he should have figured it out.

"Don't play stupid." His voice hardened and Inuyasha's golden eyes – such a contrast to his half-brother, it actually relieved her – fixated on her. "You went to speak to the director."

Kagome nodded once, precise. "I did."

"You're a moron."

She felt the anger simmer again, but this time it was threatening to boil over. She had just dealt with Kaede Kyouda for the past hour and a half, trying to figure out why the hell Sesshomaru would not pay for his actions simply because he was "the best that they had."

"_I thought you said, and I quote, 'Inuyasha Taisho has the potential to be greater than his half-brother.' That's how we treat him? He gets _killed_ and we let his murderer walk away?"_

"_He's alive and perfectly well," Kaede replied sternly, voice sharp. "There is nothing I can do."_

"_That's fucking bullshit."_

_Kaede stared at her, the one grey eye glaring. "One more word and I will permanently suspend you. You will be shipped overseas, dumped into some foreign location and I will use a favourite quote 'out of sight, out of mind.' Are we clear, Agent Higurashi?"_

Kagome wanted to scream. "Why am I a moron?"

"Because trying to defend me is like trying to save the human race," Inuyasha countered. "It's an uphill war and you lose more than half the battles along the way. Sesshomaru's a bastard and he's always been like that. I'm surprised he actually killed me but at least the Tenseiga heals everything, including old wounds. I'm pretty much back to perfect."

"That's _it_?" Kagome couldn't hold it back anymore. She couldn't deal with the politics and the crap that she'd been given. "What is your problem, Inuyasha? What is it going to take for you to figure things out?"

"Figure what out?" Inuyasha challenged, sitting up from the leather with a flourish. "I don't give a shit about what the director says, or what anyone says. I do what I fucking want and if I save a couple people along the line, all the better."

"There we go again!" Kagome shouted, stepping forward with her fists clenched at her sides. "Your little problem with authority has come out. Halle-fucking-luiah! What makes you hate everyone with any sort of authority over you, huh? What makes it impossible for you to follow orders, or to trust someone enough that they know what they're doing? I did the right thing by demanding Sesshomaru get punished for his actions. I was protecting _you_!"

"I don't need your fucking protection! I don't need it from anyone!" Inuyasha pushed himself off the couch fully, pushing back from her aggressive stance by looming over her. "You're no different than the rest."

"And what is the rest defined like, huh? Considering this partnership has lasted a near month, I'm already the most successful out of all of them. Care to explain that? Care to explain anything about your little power issues?" Kagome demanded.

Inuyasha grabbed her shoulders, twisting them around so that she slammed against the wall. "Because none of you give a shit about the guy that puts his life on the line!" the half-demon shouted, golden eyes tinged with red. "It doesn't matter how many times I nearly die, or how many times I sell my soul for a cause. In the end I'm disposable and I always _will be_." He growled, breaths coming in as angry pants. "But it only fucking figures, considering I'm only half of each and not good enough for either."

The last sentence was heavy, the weight of his words settling on them. Kagome touched his forearms and Inuyasha angrily let go, stepping to the other side of the room like he needed the distance.

"I care," she said; simple, plain, so that there was no mistaking it. "I'm the one screaming at you to not kill yourself, aren't I?"

Inuyasha's face remained completely impassive but his body seemed to sag. "Maybe that's why you've stuck around for so long. I'm waiting until the day when you stop."

There were things she could've said, ways she could've expressed how terribly, horribly wrong he was. The problem was that he ran out before she could say them and Kagome was frozen to the spot.

* * *

_September 26__th__, 2012_

* * *

Rumours were flying.

Everyone heard of the great challenge of Agent Higurashi. It spread through the buildings, the centres, the residence blocks. Within the day, whispers and strange stares were thrown her way. Kagome ignored them all because they could say what they wanted to, she hadn't been wrong. If given the choice, she would do it again. Kaede's threat to send her away was terrifying but it would hardly stop her from doing what was right. Inuyasha had been _killed_ and even if Sesshomaru brought him back to life with the Tenseiga, it was still sick and horrible and wrong on so many levels.

She needed coffee. It was what drove the black-haired woman from her office and to the break room. As a general rule she tried to avoid it – the coffee was crap so she tended to go off campus and come back – but today she had a lot of filing to do and a meeting with the psychologists. Apparently, Kaede wanted her to have a discussion with them.

The halls were relatively quiet. Many of the office doors were shut and those that were walking through the halls were junior agents who wouldn't dare to meet her eyes anyways. She could hear the conversation from the break room as she approached, hesitating at the door because her stomach started to knot itself, a feeling of nausea taking over. Kagome always knew when she was being talked about.

"It's not like Inuyasha is a hero. He endangers people."

Kagome rolled her eyes. Had they even seen his file? Then again, that was probably the problem. All of his efforts did great things, but he tended to blow up buildings more often than most demonic heroes at FANG. It was how the 'reckless' thing came out. And the half-demon was reckless, _he was_. Kagome wasn't sure particularly why she was trying to _defend _him.

"Apparently he's got Agent Higurashi now too," another voice said, far quieter than the rest. At least whatever agent was speaking was trying to have some tact. Failing, but trying. "I heard that Inuyasha and Sesshomaru got into a fight and Inuyasha was hurt. Higurashi went ballistic."

"If Sesshomaru did anything it was probably for the best."

Again, she rolled her eyes. They wouldn't be saying those words if they knew what Sesshomaru actually thought of humans. Her eyes had been opened and not in a good way. Realizing that enough was enough, the black-haired field agent walked into the break room, pointedly ignoring the horrified glances of her co-workers. Honestly, they were agents of a top secret organization; they should be better at hiding their surprise. They wouldn't last longer than three minutes under torture.

The coffee pot had some left in it, but certainly not enough for what Kagome wanted. She sighed and got to work making another pot, cleaning her mug and ignoring the whispers. They could talk all they wanted. The coffee machine was perking when suddenly one of the agents from the table stood up, eyeing Kagome studiously. Not one to ignore blatant observation, she raised her brows in question. "Can I help you?"

"You seem to already have your hands full," the guy said, lips twisting ugly on his face. "Wouldn't want you to take on more than you could handle."

"I'm actually trained to go out on the field," Kagome replied smoothly, pointedly looking at his lab coat and then back to his green eyes. "It's not possible for such an occurrence, so your concern is unnecessary."

"And unwanted," a familiar voice said, coming from the break room doorway. Miroku Tsujitani stood there, arms crossed and clearly displeased. He'd been an agent in the HQ building for a lot longer than she had and while he didn't handle a demon, he organized and executed the human combatant teams for field duty. He was well known here, even respected. "I think your break is done, Agent."

Kagome didn't wait for the inevitable fallout, or the conversation that she didn't want. Grabbing whatever coffee there was, she poured herself a cup and then headed out. She nodded her thanks to Miroku on the way, feet taking her down the hall as fast as they could without completely fleeing.

If she had waited just a few more seconds, she would've noticed Inuyasha popping out from behind one of the office doors, golden eyes fixated on Miroku and then her slowly disappearing figure.

* * *

_October 2__nd__, 2012_

* * *

Kagome halted, flipping open the pocket-sized mirror to look in her reflection. She leaned back, going out of her way to examine her face while her free hand dropped a small, barely noticeable listening device into the potted plant behind her. She scratched at her hair, trying to make it look fuller before sighing and heading back towards the small corner table.

"I never thought you'd look so insecure," Inuyasha hummed, staring at her like he wasn't buying it for a second. "Is there a reason you decided you felt like toasted westerns instead of, I don't know, _real food_?"

"This is an assignment," Kagome whispered, making a show of opening up her menu. "I debriefed you last night."

"Right, when I was barely conscious."

"Not my fault you ran into a wall."

"I didn't _run into a wall_," Inuyasha growled lowly. He put the menu down, leaning forwards to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. To anyone else, it would look sentimental, like they were on a date or something. It wasn't though because he tugged hard at the strand and his claws scratched at her ears. "I was flipping through the air–"

"Shh, it's okay," Kagome interrupted, grabbing his hand before he could completely pull it away and interlocking their fingers. The ear bud dropped between their palms and her brown eyes lifted to gaze at a group of women sitting at a far booth in the breakfast restaurant. "I'll make it all better once six o'clock comes around."

"Subtle," Inuyasha grumbled. He took a moment, stretching and putting the piece in his right dog ear in one smooth motion. "So what's the occasion for tonight?"

"You know, talking to each other, listening and finding out our true feelings." Kagome wasn't even looking at him. Her gaze was locked on the tall woman, clearly a demon with the hint of a red on her neck. The Arachnid symbol was usually of that colour and the woman's profile matched a picture found in their database. As far as they knew her name was Kagura Ohgami. They didn't know how she was affiliated with Arachnid, other than a probable hate for human life. There were two other women with her – one with short black hair and another with long white hair. Their names were known but the plan was to follow them for a bit of surveillance and to grab as many photos as possible. They could try running them through the database later. "Listening is the biggie."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes but slouched to get comfortable. Together they listened in, the conversation barely audible with everything else that was going on.

"_You can't know that for sure_," one of them said. Kagome tried to get eyes but she could only see the face of the woman with short black hair. "_They won't know what it does._"

"_They're not fucking morons. They're not the race that's close to extinction_." There, that was the woman with the short black hair.

"_Naraku's pissed things are taking so long. They got it too – the well. They may not be morons, Yura, but if they knew what it was then we'd know about it._"

Inuyasha's golden eyes met Kagome's, calculating. The demon women were talking about whatever they found those weeks ago on their first mission. They also had two names: Naraku and Yura, who was the one Kagome had eyes on. "You think?"

"Yeah," the field agent murmured, softly.

The conversation turned after that, the awkward quiet between the women getting worse the longer they were there. Talks became stilted, all because of the name Naraku coming up. Inuyasha and Kagome shared a large plate of pancakes, although they barely ate any of it. Coffee came in steady streams and by the time Kagome was on her third cup, the demon women were calling for the bill.

"I think we're done here," Inuyasha stated, rubbing a hand down his face. "At least we got something."

"But not too much," Kagome complained. "We'll have to destroy the bug I planted. You can get it, right?" Inuyasha scowled at her, a clear indication that he knew he could. She smiled a little at the attitude, realizing by now he did it mainly as a rebuff instead of actually being angry.

"You know, Miroku misses you." The words were completely out of the blue and Kagome stared at the silver-haired half-demon, shocked. She wanted to open her mouth but knew that only stutters would come out, and those would do nothing good to help her case. Inuyasha continued on, uncaring. "It wasn't your fault what happened to the two of you. Arachnid had a backup plan and the whole thing had been a trap from the beginning. There was no way that someone wasn't going to be taken. I read the report."

The hell he had. Kagome knew the file was under lock and key somewhere in Kaede's office, but the thought crossed her mind that maybe Inuyasha was far more resourceful than she gave him credit for. He did say how he'd figure it out.

"It's not your fault what they did to Miroku. You stuck to your training like he stuck to his. Arachnid is known for their torture techniques and you'd already been there for _days_–"

"_Enough_," Kagome growled, taking one from Inuyasha's book. "We are on an assignment and you think to talk to me about this _now?_"

Inuyasha didn't look fazed. He merely shrugged. "You haven't let me corner you in your office this week."

She hadn't, he was right. Kagome knew this was coming sooner or later, although she didn't expect him to be stupid enough – _reckless enough_ – to bring it up while they were following persons of interest.

"Talk to him. He had a picture of you, him and Sango in the office. He talks about you like you saved his life." Inuyasha pointed at her, deadly serious. "And Sango is so grateful to you that she doesn't know how to repay you."

Kagome worked her jaw, trying to get a grasp on the situation that was getting more and more out of control. "Their names are Agent Tsujitani and Agent Houko. You should address them as such."

The dark chuckle out of Inuyasha's mouth was certainly a surprise and not any more welcome than the new conversation. "Right, Kagome. You know, friends don't go by labels."

"We're on the clock."

"And everyone says I'm the one with issues." Inuyasha smirked at her, absolutely no amusement in it. He took the earpiece out, standing up and heading towards the bathroom. On the way back, she was sure he would destroy the bug. Kagura, Yura and the other white-haired girl stood up, heading out of the shop and onto the streets. Kagome tossed down enough cash to cover their bill and more before slowly following them.

And if she was shaking, then absolutely no one had to know.

* * *

_October 6__th__, 2012_

* * *

Four days of pretty much ignoring the half-demon and she was about to rip her hair out. He just kept giving her glares, or bitter smirks, or something equally unpleasant that made her stomach curl. The worst part in all of it was that she couldn't react. Reacting meant that she wasn't in control, that the situation had fallen beyond that. Kagome didn't want to lose control over things she desperately didn't want to remember.

Of course, then Director Kaede Kyouda called.

"You and Inuyasha will be in my office in twenty minutes, are we clear?"

Kagome realized her life narrowed down to asking "how high?" when someone said "jump."

The half-demon nodded at her when she arrived in the elevator. He'd come from the training centre a level below, a fine sheen of sweat on his forehead. Golden eyes stared straight as the doors closed and Kagome refused to think how uncomfortable the whole situation was.

"You didn't attack anyone again, did you?" Kagome asked. "None of the junior agents are suffering burns from you scaring them?"

"Nope." It was the first word he'd said to her in four days. She wasn't sure whether to celebrate or scream.

"Do you know what this is about?"

Finally Inuyasha turned to look at her. "Nope."

"Fantastic."

The meeting wasn't anything fancy. Kaede had the two of them sit down before she handed them similar folders with a bunch of photos and information. She explained how a demon by the name of Moryomaru Mizutani was suspected of having ties with Arachnid. He was a politician within the city, his name a big power play. Their mission was to determine if Moryomaru was a part of the Arachnid gang and if he was, to find out how dangerous his threat level was. Kagome didn't need to draw pictures for anyone – if he was associated with Arachnid then he would be taken out promptly. Political power, especially the kind that Moryomaru Mizutani had, was a dangerous weapon.

It was then that the metaphorical bomb was dropped because apparently there was a party being held at the Mizutani household, which would be the perfect opportunity to not only snoop through his stuff and hack into personal information, but it was also a way of recording known associates and if any of the guests had ties to the Arachnid group as well.

A party, Kagome scoffed at the thought. She was going to a party instead of shooting things.

Kaede handed them their licences and background profiles for the characters they were playing. Of course the two of them were married. By this point, nothing surprised her.

Inuyasha's glare was directed at Kagome again, so she shrugged helplessly. It wasn't like she applied for the job, nor did she beg for Kaede to temporarily marry them. They would be the greatest married couple in the world though, that was for sure. All great relationships completely ignored verbal communication for the better, more preferred method: angry stares and eye rolls.

Perfect.

* * *

_October 7__th__, 2012_

* * *

"Perfect," Kagome grumbled, feeling utterly ridiculous. There was a sheathed knife in a holster on the inside of her thigh and an ear bud that was currently in her bra. Her clutch held all of the basics – lipstick, foundation, gum and more. Getting through security was always a fun time. She brushed her hair behind her ear, thanking the guard as he let her through.

Inuyasha was being the ever-dutiful husband, waiting for her on the other side of the security line. She joined him with a flourish, gently placing her hand on his forearm while he led them through large double doors into a grand entranceway. "You're wearing earrings," he commented, brow furrowed slightly. "They're sparkly, isn't that a bit too flashy?"

Kagome gave him a look. These earrings were the only nice pair she owned, considering she couldn't wear them at work and she didn't go out for fun often enough to warrant more than a couple pairs. Besides, the jewels matched her sparkling clutch.

"Whatever," Inuyasha grumbled. "Rendezvous in ten?"

"Don't forget to place your ear bud," Kagome reminded him quietly, letting go and searching for the table of drinks. It was going to be a long night. A quick scan of the room indicated that Moryomaru was not yet there, although she doubted he would be long. Inuyasha was double-checking their exit strategies and the cameras, trying to get a read on security and how smoothly operations were being run. He was supposed to be taking pictures of the room too, as casually as he could on his phone while he pretended to do something else. Kagome analyzed the crowd, not recognizing anyone from the numerous photos she had had to study before coming. "Status," she whispered, just under her breath.

"Fine."

Bringing the wine to her lips, Kagome let the red stain the soft flesh before lowering it, without taking a sip. To her far right she saw a big sway of movement, people gathering and then quickly dispersing backwards. Moryomaru was there, nodding and shaking hands with many of his guests. His smile showed charm and charisma, something that was faked considering the tightness of his smile and the way his eyes didn't crinkle at the corners. He could've just been tired but somehow, Kagome doubted it. She slowly took another sip of wine, eyeing the demon. He was well-built – even his perfectly fitted suit couldn't hide the broad muscles. His hair was long, a silvery touch of white that couldn't quite compete with Inuyasha's.

Well.

Dark eyes met hers and Kagome licked her lips, tasting the wine as their target sent her a questioning gaze. Turning her attention away, Kagome put the still full glass of wine down before moving across the room. It was her turn to take photos, now that their guest of honour was out. For a solid hour that was all she did, ignoring dance offers, keeping an eye out and taking pictures.

"Status update," she murmured softly, excusing herself as a man blocked her way.

"Just… _Fuck_, we've got a problem," Inuyasha muttered on the other end, his voice loud coming from the earpiece. "Cameras are everywhere and the only way to access Moryomaru's private room is through two security guards. Both are demons, can't tell if they're Arachnid or not. I can take them out but it'll make a fuss."

"Don't you dare try anyways," Kagome said, trying to make a point. "The blueprints said that his whole bedroom, bathroom suite and office connect through several doors, so once you get past the guards the first time, you're set."

Inuyasha grumbled. "I can try the outside. There's a window so I can probably jump through–"

"There are guards outside."

"That wasn't what was gathered from previous recon," Inuyasha argued. "Security was beefed up again?"

"Didn't you spot them as we were walking in?" Kagome asked, too much civility in her tone. She leaned against a wall, shifting her gaze around the room until it landed on Moryomaru. The man was looking at her again, a small twisted smile on his lips. There was almost a challenge in his eyes.

"I won't get caught."

"If you do, we're screwed and FANG will ship us off to the next frozen wasteland," Kagome whispered, pretending to politely yawn behind her hand. She flipped open her clutch, checking the items before smiling to herself. "Besides, I've got a plan."

"What plan?" Inuyasha demanded.

A shadow fell at her feet and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up as someone loomed nearby. Kagome looked up at the man a good couple inches taller than Inuyasha with a sly smile, closing her clutch. "Can I interest you in a drink?" Moryomaru asked, dark eyes assessing her from head to toe. His tone was friendly enough, the distance left between them a little possessive but nothing threatening. Kagome was always aware of when she was being intimidated.

"You have plenty of wine available," she replied, keeping her tone light, just a little bit slurred. "It's good wine."

"I can offer a lot more than that," Moryomaru said, smiling. "What's your name? I don't recognize you from the guest list."

"Ayumi Okamoto." Kagome offered her hand, letting him hold on for those unnecessary seconds longer. "You may recognize my husband. I never let myself get involved in his business deals. He speaks highly of you."

Moryomaru's smile widened and Kagome knew then that this was all going to work. Of course, if Inuyasha stopped yelling into her ear it would be easier to collect her own thoughts.

"Higurashi, I swear to god if that's the same Moryomaru that we're targeting I am going to _rip_ his goddamn throat out!" Inuyasha yelled.

"Of course, his business dealings generally leave me with nothing to do, like right now." Kagome shrugged, letting her eyes roam over his broad shoulders. "You said something about drinks?"

"I believe I did." Moryomaru's hand was warm on her back, a little too low for touching a business associate's wife (even if it was all fake), but Kagome had betted on that. Powerful men liked taking things, getting things they shouldn't have.

"Are you _flirting_ with him?" Inuyasha demanded suddenly. "I can hear your voice and I've never heard you talk like that before. What the fuck are you planning on doing?"

Kagome let the drinks for her be made, ignoring the voice in her head that kept getting more and more accusatory. Inuyasha's golden eyes came into her sight more than once as the half-demon joined her back on the floor. He kept his distance though, his accusations growing wilder as Kagome continued to drink. There was no way to fake it now; Moryomaru's attention was almost strictly on her. She hadn't had enough to really affect her but her brain buzzed pleasantly if she gave it more than second thought.

"One more?" she asked, leaning in close as if to whisper a secret while her hand skimmed the buttons of his suit jacket. The demon had outmatched her in drinks and while their metabolisms made alcohol affect them differently, Kagome knew he was hardly at peak brain function.

"We wouldn't have to drink it down here," Moryomaru whispered back, raising a brow as his eyes searched downwards. "I have a bar upstairs."

"In your bedroom?" Kagome asked, near giggles. "What about your guests?"

Moryomaru inclined his head slightly. "It's close enough. I'll need a few minutes. What about your husband?"

"He's downed his eleventh glass of wine, plus whatever else he got his hands on," Kagome murmured, sniffing distastefully. "It's not like we're going to stay up there for very long."

"I like the way you think." Moryomaru gestured towards a stairway where a few guests were standing around. "Up the stairs and to the right are my private quarters. Wait for me there and I'll let us in."

Kagome made sure her grin was wicked, eyes tracing down his body like she wanted to undress him right then and there. She took slow, deliberate steps back. "I'll see you then."

His eyes widened, the shade growing darker with lust as he purposefully turned away. All Kagome needed now was a bit of time and she'd be in his room. The key was to make sure the demon didn't think of her actions as out of place and if she screwed up then Kagome could just as easily blow their cover as Inuyasha's plan to climb through the window.

A strong grasp on her wrist made her spin but the prickle of claws had her blindly following as the half-demon dragged her across the room. They rounded a corner and soon Inuyasha was in her space, lips pressed into a thin line. "What in the loving _fuck_ are you doing?" he hissed. His hand was still on her wrist, the grip tightening fractionally. There would be bruises, she was sure.

"I'm getting the evidence we need. The photos you are taking are not enough. I can get past the guards so I'm going to get the data. Hand me the drive."

Inuyasha shook his head once. "Tell me you're not going to–"

"Hand me the drive, Inuyasha," Kagome snapped, keeping her eyes focused on him. "This is the job and we complete our missions to our furthest, greatest abilities. I'll be fine."

"We–"

"I'll be _fine_," Kagome repeated, trying to drill it into his head. She couldn't say exactly what would happen, or what tactics she was going to have to use. She had a Plan A, but that was as far as it went. There was no room for error and if she messed up… She could either risk both of their lives or just hers. In the end, it wasn't much of a choice. "Please, give me the drive."

Finally the half-demon handed it over, looking not at all happy. "If you need me just call."

Kagome shook her head, reaching for her ear bud and dropping it back into her bra. It was still accessible if need be. "I can't do this with you in my head. You're distracting enough as it is." She didn't particularly mean to say those words but she didn't quite take them back either as she walked away. They didn't mean anything, at all.

Moryomaru met her at the top of the stairs, like he promised. His hand immediately slid down the curve of her back, lingering at the base of her spin before dropping lower. The guards merely stepped out of the way when the demon nodded his head and Kagome made a show of giggling at his awe-inducing power. What got men off sometimes made her wonder.

The bar was located in his study – of all places. Kagome saw the large desktop computer in the corner, a huge touch screen with state-of-the-art hardware. She paid it no mind, not right now anyways, as she stepped behind the bar and leaned forward, doing her best to flash as much cleavage as possible. "What do you want?"

Moryomaru leaned forwards too, lips almost an inch from hers. "Surprise me."

Giving a small laugh, she ducked out of the way and got to work, making something elaborate. She didn't know much about bartending but she knew how to look competent at something when she wasn't. When Moryomaru turned his back to her, loosening up his tie and unbuttoning his suit jacket, Kagome opened her clutch and grabbed the tube of lipstick. The demon continued to move towards the chair, giving her the opportunity to uncap the stick, pouring the clear liquid that trickled out into his glass.

Kagome was an agent. She hardly needed actual lipstick.

She made a show of straining the alcohol, letting the ice run over it as she poured it into their glasses. Kagome grabbed them, swaying her hips to an imaginary beat as she walked over to him in his chair, letting his gaze watch her every move.

"You seem tense," Kagome noted softly, pouting her lower lip. Reaching out to give him his drink, she took a large gulp of hers. She looked around the room, trying to portray someone a bit drunk, a bit lost. "I've never done this before. My husband and I met when we were…young."

Moryomaru laughed at that, dark eyes dancing. Power was one thing, but having a title was even better. He tilted his head back, drinking the amber liquid from the glass before licking his lips. "What is this?"

"Not really sure," Kagome replied, smiling. "I just mixed whatever alcohol I felt like drinking. I'm a trophy wife, not a bartender." Slowly she dragged her hand down his loosened tie, tugging it gently. She put her glass down and tried to bring him off of the chair. "You have a bedroom somewhere around here?"

"Rushed, are we?" the demon asked, dark eyes flashing.

"I'd rather my husband not stumble in his drunken state up here." Kagome pressed herself against him, tilting her head up to adjust for his height. He was tall, strong – she hoped like hell the drug was as fast acting as it was supposed to be. She let herself be lightly dragged through another set of double doors, the bedroom large and spacious, with furniture probably costing more than her entire FANG-approved apartment alone.

"So–"

Kagome pressed a finger to his lips, grinning wickedly as she nipped his jaw. Her hands touched the collar of his shirt, buttons slowly being undone. Moryomaru was a talker – the words coming out of his mouth were dirty promises and orders. She took it in stride, made every movement slow torture on his skin as his tie came off, shirt falling away. "You know, there's something remarkable about you."

"Stop talking and get the hell on with it," the demon groaned, his hand wrapping in her hair as he pushed her down.

Kagome stared at the button on his jeans, contemplating. "Don't you want to know why you're remarkable?"

Moryomaru stared at her incredulously, brow furrowing as he blinked. "What?"

"That you didn't realize–" Kagome saw it the moment everything came crashing down. She fell to the ground, hair a tangled mess as the demon lay passed out on top of her. Slowly she crawled out from underneath him, dragging the heavy man back on the bed so that he remained sleeping on his back, shirt forgotten on the ground. "–I'm only here to steal stuff from you." Shrugging, the field agent examined the man on the bed. "You don't even have very nice abdominal muscles, sad to say."

With a sigh, Kagome reached into her bra and pulled out the earpiece, finding it after a few seconds of difficulty and putting it in. Inuyasha was muttering curses for all that he was worth, pissed off and clearly wired. She knew that even if the ear bud didn't let the sound out, Inuyasha could've easily heard everything that happened. Kagome wasn't stupid – if things went south, the half-demon would have to know to get the hell out of dodge. "You can stop listing off ways to kill him," Kagome commented dryly, sighing again as she looked at the sleeping body. "He's about as dangerous as a feather right now."

"_What the fuck were you thinking_?" Inuyasha screamed. "The shit he said to you and I thought– I thought you were actually–"

"Please," Kagome interrupted, wanting to stop that idea right there. "I had a plan, I told you."

"And what if it didn't work, huh?" Inuyasha demanded. "What the fuck then?"

Instead of choosing to answer, she started to undo Moryomaru's belt. Sliding his pants off was a bit difficult, but eventually they too were off, tossed somewhere to the side. The sedative had many side-effects, one of which included short-term memory loss about an hour before unconsciousness. As long as she staged the bedroom right, the demon would be none the wiser and probably thinking he'd gotten just a tad too drunk.

"Are you listening to me?" Inuyasha yelled.

"Radio _silence_," Kagome snapped. "And where are you that you can yell so freely? We are undercover, Inuyasha."

"I'm outside," the half-demon huffed. "Hiding in the damn trees and trying not to get caught. There are security guards everywhere – most of them demons. I can see the Arachnid mark on one of them though. I have photos."

"In the trees," Kagome started. "You weren't trying to come get me, were you? Because I told you that you wouldn't make it coming in from the window. I'm a field agent Inuyasha; I know what I'm doing."

"The hell you do."

Keeping her mouth smartly shut , because this was not the time to start arguing with her partner, Kagome finished setting up the room before taking the ghost drive out of her clutch and plugging it into his desktop. A few minutes later it started up, copying over numerous files.

"Where are you?" Inuyasha asked.

"Do I have to define 'radio silence' for you?" the field agent hissed. She paused, listening to his quiet growl. "I'm still in his office getting the files. I'll be out in two minutes. Get the car from the valet and I'll meet you outside."

The progress metre seemed to move slower and slower, but eventually the completion signal came through and Kagome tore out the drive and shut down the desktop. She slid it back into her clutch, pausing only a moment to mess up her dress and puff up her hair. Her face didn't look remotely debauched, but the makeup was so pretty she didn't have the heart to. It was rare that she dressed up at all and even if the evening was spent on a mission, Kagome enjoyed it.

She all but ran to the car, giving the guards sheepish looks and sliding into the passenger seat. Inuyasha's fists were white-knuckled on the steering wheel but the field agent chose to ignore that too. If Inuyasha wanted to have a fit, then that was fine. He was nothing more than a hypocrite with a strange delusion that only he could be right. Running a hand through her hair Kagome felt her ear, realizing with frustration that one of the earrings fell out.

"Damn it," she whispered. Pretty much the only pair she owned that was flashy enough to be nice and one of them was lying on the floor of some potential-Arachnid demon's bedroom.

"What?" Inuyasha asked. "You forget something?"

"Just lost an earring," she replied, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

The half-demon glanced at her, frowning. "I told you they were too flashy. What's it matter anyways, you have this face on."

"A face?" Kagome rolled her eyes, turning her attention to the darkness. "I liked them, is all."

They didn't talk for the rest of the night.

* * *

_October 9__th__, 2012_

* * *

Inuyasha handed his report in on time. Kagome picked up the large envelope from the floor where the documentation had been slid under the crack of her door. She peered inside, seeing the pile of paper and deciding that filing it all now would be the smart thing to do.

When Kagome pulled out the contents, she didn't expect a single flashy earring to come falling out, landing on her desk with a tap. Her brown eyes stared at it, surprised. Touched, even.

He had gone through the window after all.

* * *

_October 11__th__, 2012_

* * *

The call came in at 2:51 a.m.

She had already put in a sixteen hour day at HQ but major revelations tended to not care much about the time. Kagome walked down the hallways of FANG, still as busy as they always were. Crime didn't sleep and with time zones it was always five o'clock somewhere.

The meeting room was Director Kyouda's own, held off to the side on the second floor. Kagome punched in her code, listening to the click and slide of the lock before the door opened. Seven others were in there, most of them higher ups so Kagome only had a vague knowledge of what they did. She did recognize Senior Task Agent Bankotsu Takeshi, however. They weren't exactly friends but she had nothing against him. He nodded his head in greeting and Kagome sat down. A scientist fiddled nervously in the corner, rolling up her sleeves before frowning and redoing it. Kaede was in the centre, looking anything but pleased.

A few more trickled in soon after, a couple handlers that Kagome knew by extension. When the director sat down, one grey eye turning to stare at the scientist, Kagome felt pity bubble up. Most ran away from a stare like that and it was obvious the woman wanted to too.

"Thank you all for coming," the scientist started, hastily looking around the room. "I won't beat around the bush: we've discovered the purpose and power of the well that Agent Higurashi and Inuyasha found on September 9th."

So that was why she was there. Kagome ignored the stares that turned her way, rather nodding at the woman to go on.

"It's a time machine, kind of."

Kaede blinked, holding up her hand. "Kind of?"

The female scientist cleared her throat, her nerves out in full force. "We don't have much conclusive evidence. The variables…"

Kagome tried to take the information in, listening to the conversation fluctuate between theories and continuums and a bunch of other words she didn't know existed and that made no real sense to her. She didn't know if it did to anyone else; all of the faces were similar to hers – carefully blank with casual politeness at the forefront. What did it even mean to Arachnid to have a _sort of _time machine?

The problem was that the concept wasn't difficult to conceive. There was technology like it out there, well-hidden and under the radar. Governments kept a lot of things like that, especially technology that could revolutionize and destroy the world. Having a time machine was about as easy to accept as the sky going dark at night. It took some time, but it eventually happened and would happen again.

"It's not–" The scientist cut herself off from her long tangent, wincing.

Kaede sighed. "Dumb it down, child, if you could please?"

Looking almost horrified at the thought, the scientist worked on rolling her sleeves up again. "It doesn't travel through time in the way that Hollywood has made us believe. The well has absolutely no control or technological advancements. It's purely run on demonic magic and we can't get a good reading on it. We can only base our conclusions from the Arachnid scientists' notes and whatever non-protruding scans we could fit. And without a responsive test subject…" The woman shrugged. "It's like a portal from what we can gather, covering a gap between a place at one time and here at the present. Almost like a tunnel, hidden in a sort of well that was apparently created in an abandoned warehouse. From what the notes say, it acts as a mode of transportation, taking a subject from here to somewhere in the past."

"Only the past?" one of the men in suits asked, raising both brows.

"That's what the notes claim," the scientist answered. "Without a test subject we may never know."

"That's not necessarily true," Kaede murmured, standing up. "We have two Arachnid agents still in our custody from where Inuyasha tossed them out of the windows." The director turned to Kagome, a tight line on her lips. One of the other demons they brought in hadn't made it very far in his unplanned vacation. "So far they have been uncooperative but I have no issues with upping the ante, considering what happened to their associate, I feel something can be worked out quickly."

"They were working on this when we infiltrated the building," Kagome explained, something bothering her about the whole situation. "What of the human victim? Exsanguination isn't a typical way to die."

All eyes turned to the director, who then looking at the stumbling scientist. The woman unrolled her sleeve. "That's what we're still working on," she replied. "Medical has finished its examinations but we wanted to…test a few things. The well runs on a kind of demonic power so it may have something to do with that. It's not in the notes."

"So what do we do now?" Bankotsu asked. "What's Arachnid trying to plan? If we've got a time-travelling well on our hands and it belongs to them, surely they'll try to find it and take it back."

Kaede nodded thoughtfully. "Koharu," she started, looking at the scientist, "keep looking into the well's destination point for the past. Arachnid wouldn't be working on something this big without a good reason. It means something to them and their plans. For now we'll raise security at the warehouse where our operations are ongoing."

An hour after Kagome walked away from the meeting and headed back to her office, she couldn't get the idea of the well out of her mind. If the portal was vital to an Arachnid operation – even a future one – why hadn't it been more heavily guarded? Why were their only four workers, none of which were strong fighters? What was the goal for all of it?

If this was truly something Arachnid wanted – as the female Arachnid demons suggested when Inuyasha and she had trailed them from the diner not too long ago – then why put so much risk on it? Why not protect it, keep it on base or create a self-destruct sequence?

Kagome made a mental note to talk to the director later about her concerns, checking the time and sighing when she realized going back to her apartment would be fruitless. She'd be up in less than an hour anyways and Inuyasha would surely be bothering her the moment he stepped in to FANG HQ and felt so entitled. He was still pretty mad about the whole Moryomaru Mizutani thing.

* * *

**Comments to Acknowledge**

_Vexienne: _Glad you're enjoying it sweetie!**  
**

_BartonA: _Thank you very much :D !

_Tammara T: _Well we'll definitely be getting there. This is all about Inuyasha and Kagome, so...it'll happen ;)

_(): _HA.

* * *

**Feedback is love.**


	5. Chapter Five

**Author's Note #1:**_ I have a poll. Want to see it? (This is repetitive, only because not all of my readers read all of my stories. You crazy, awesome people, you)._**  
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**Author's Note #2:**_I have a VIM - very important message - on my profile. Check it? Wanna? (This too is repetitive. See above.)  
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**Author's Note #3: **_I'm updating Fallen Among Thieves sometime tonight. Just FYI lovelies.  
_

**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own Inuyasha. I do not profit from this story._

* * *

**What You're Falling On**

**Chapter Five**

* * *

_July 23__rd__, 2009_

_Day 4_

* * *

Gatenmaru was getting angry.

Kagome could see it from the way his red eyes were shifting, his body thrumming with rage. It became more and more evident that he was holding something back, something within him and she shuddered at the thought that whatever was happening to them could only get worse. She only knew another day had passed when water was given to them, so she estimated that they'd been held for four days. FANG should have found them by now, if they were going to be found at all.

"Tell me where your base is," Gatenmaru hissed through clenched teeth, his hand circled around Kagome's throat. "I will snap your neck if you remain silent any longer."

"FANG agents do not negotiate. We aim for the greater good of humanity, the greater good of the world." Kagome took a breath, realizing that it could be her last. "FANG agents do not negotiate."

The growl that ripped out of the demon's throat was horrifying. One minute he was choking her and the next she was flying through the air, unable to catch her fall as she crashed to the ground. Her nose was bleeding, though she didn't think it was broken. It was one small thing to be thankful for, even though she'd be dead soon and it would no longer matter.

"Bring it here!" Gatenmaru yelled. Kagome didn't even have time to try and collect her bearings when suddenly her ankle was grabbed, her body being dragged. She was dumped on the ground beside Miroku, who was barely recognizable with all of his cuts and bruises. He was still alive but barely. Kagome tried to take the brunt of the pain when she could, when they let her. Suddenly her hair was yanked back, painfully sharp and she hissed a cry. Gatenmaru's breath was on her ear, hot and filthy, making her struggle against his hand. "This is what you get. You want to tell me how you FANG agents don't negotiate? Well, do it now as you kill your fellow agent."

Kagome didn't even have time to think it through. Suddenly Miroku was forced to his knees and she was dragged back, standing with Gatenmaru pinning her arms. Her shoulders protested painfully but she said nothing as Miroku's shirt was removed by one of the demon's lackeys. It wasn't until Kagome saw the whip that she yelled out, pissed off and horrified and _knowing_ what was next.

She was going to kill them all.

"Now, tell me the location of your base of operations," Gatenmaru whispered in her ear, almost like a caress.

"Don't do it!" Miroku yelled, coughing up blood the moment the last word left his lips. His blue eyes stared at her, understanding and trusting and Kagome hated herself. She hated what happened to them, how she wasn't able to protect them or stop this from happening. "Say it Kagome."

She couldn't.

"Tell me," Gatenmaru murmured in her ear, the words a singsong of praise.

"FANG agents do not negotiate," Miroku started, glaring at her. "Say it Kagome, _do it_."

She choked on a sob. "FANG agents do not negotiate. We aim for the greater good of humanity, the greater good of the world. FANG agents do not negotiate."

The sound of the whip was deafening to her ears. Miroku screamed, body falling forwards as he crumpled to the ground. Two other demons came, holding him up and forcing him back into the kneeling position.

Gatenmaru chuckled behind her. "I can do this all day, but he certainly can't. How many times do you think it's going to take for him to die, hmm? Are you willing to count down with me?"

"Kagome, you stay strong," Miroku muttered. "I'm okay." It was a lie, a _terrible _one. But the way he looked at her, like she was this amazing thing made her fall apart. "I'm okay," he whispered.

She closed her eyes.

"Tell me."

"FANG agents do not negotiate. We aim for the greater good of humanity, the greater good of the world. FANG agents do not negotiate."

Another crack of the whip.

"Try again."

"FANG agents do not negotiate. We aim for the greater good of humanity, the greater good of the world. FANG agents do not negotiate." Kagome hated herself so much more.

This time, the scream Miroku let out made something within her shatter. This was her doing. If Miroku was dead by the end of this, and she somehow survived, Kagome would have to face Sango. And…she couldn't. She wouldn't walk out of this alive if Miroku didn't, that was the end of the story.

"Where is FANG's base?"

Kagome took a deep breath. "FANG agents do not negotiate. We aim for the greater good of humanity, the greater good of the world. FANG agents do not negotiate."

Miroku was sobbing, broken and bleeding before her. Yet, every time he looked up at her, he was trying to smile, trying to tell her that it was all okay. This was what they were supposed to do, to save the world and to keep the human race living and breathing. If Arachnid knew where FANG's campus was, they would destroy it and all the hope that revolved around it. "Say it Kagome," Miroku whispered again.

Gatenmaru's grip on her tightened. "I can double the lashings for every time you don't tell me. What do you say to that Kagome?"

"FANG agents do not negotiate. We aim for the greater good of humanity, the greater good of the world. FANG agents do not negotiate." Kagome stared at Miroku, watched as he crumpled to the ground when the whip hit once, hit twice. His back was a mess, broken criss-cross patterns of skin completely mangled. Even if he did make it out alive, that would always follow with him. He would never fully heal.

"Last chance," the Arachnid demon whispered. "I don't think he's going to last another hit."

He wasn't, Kagome was sure. So she closed her eyes, took a breath and when she opened them back up, she glared at the demon. "If you kill him, I have nothing to live for. You can torture me for months and I will never give it up. You kill him, I hate you all the more for it. I will die if he dies, even if I manage to take you down. So ask me again, I dare you," Kagome spat. "Because when his heart stops beating, I'll await death myself eagerly."

In the end, Miroku was still breathing.

In the end, he wasn't the only one to leave with physical markings that wouldn't allow them to ever forget.

* * *

_Present Day_

_October 14__th__, 2012_

* * *

For the first time, Kagome had gotten the call that help was needed in an ongoing battle strike in the heart of downtown. It wasn't all that shocking, but generally she and Inuyasha were the reasons people were called out because the half-demon couldn't wait a minute for backup. This time, it was their job to come to the rescue.

Kagome ran, bow nocked and ready to fire. When she wasn't Inuyasha's handler and supervisor, she was a field agent just like everyone else. She'd shot and killed three demons, having perched high above before the call came in that the enemies were down.

"Agents, get your status reports and update," the radio crackled. Kagome loosened her grip, waiting for the radio to click off again before she spoke specifically into the earpiece. "Inuyasha, status please."

"Oh, you're saying please now?" Inuyasha snarled. "Do I get a thank you for every demon I rip apart too?"

It had been this way ever since their mission to obtain data from Moryomaru. It had turned out that he was dealing with Arachnid, although only as a starting player. He was a risk though so eyes were being kept on the rich, white-haired demon. Regardless of the fact that their work led to something and regardless of the fact that Inuyasha had somehow managed to go back and get her lost earring, the half-demon had been almost cruel. It was possibly worse than when they first started working together, but Kagome was a field agent and a damn good one. She knew her limits – one of the reasons she backed out to work in the Crisis Centre in the first place – so she knew she could handle his mouth.

"Status, Inuyasha," Kagome demanded, voice firm and unyielding.

"I'm fucking fine."

That was all the answer she needed. The field agent stopped, compressing the radio button to announce their clear status. It was when the voice on the other end confirmed that she heard a shout, a low growl just around the corner. Kagome frowned, repositioning her hands back into place as she ran forwards. Her body pressed against a cold brick wall, breathing in before peering around the corner. An Arachnid demon was there, the spider mark clear and ugly on its back. The body shifted and rolled, another demon – _Kouga_ – fighting it before being rolled again.

Kagome wasted no time, simply lining up her shot and letting go within a second. She waited, watching as the Arachnid demon's body collapsed on top of Kouga, the wolf demon grunting in surprise. "Need some help there?" she asked, suppressing her smile as wide blue eyes turned to stare at her.

"Give a guy a warning," Kouga exclaimed, pushing the dead demon off of him. He stood up quickly, brushing off stray gravel from his field suit. "How the hell did you know you weren't going to hit me?"

Kagome shrugged. "I don't miss."

Of course, it wasn't surprising that Inuyasha's low rumble filled her ear, taking up the clarity in her mind. "I know that irritating voice," the half-demon growled. "Is he bothering you?"

Considering the last words he said to her were 'I'm fucking fine', Kagome didn't particularly care to respond to him. She did anyways, because it was her job. That's all any of it was anyways – partners on field, not-particularly-fond acquaintances everywhere else. "No."

Kouga frowned for a moment, and Kagome tapped her ear once to let him know she hadn't directed the answer towards him. "Is that Inuyasha?"

"It is." Kagome didn't want to say anymore, knowing about the relationship the two of them had. Inuyasha was already in a sour mood and she didn't need their stupid drama to get in the way of cleaning up the mess of a mission. "Let's head back to central. We've got civilians to take care of," she said instead, sliding her bow in behind her and walking in the direction of where all the real action happened.

"I could carry you there," Kouga offered, shrugging but unable to keep the grin off his face. "Speed is kind of my thing."

"Looking professional is kind of mine," she replied, smiling at him. "Where's your handler? Why haven't they checked in with you?"

The grin on the wolf demon's face fell a little, coming back up almost as fast as it disappeared. "I don't really…have one. I do – it's Ayame – but we take care of each other rather than have supervisory roles."

Kagome nodded. Ayame was another demon at FANG, one who chose not to have a starring role as a demonic hero and wanted to take on a position more similar to Kagome's. The woman was still powerful though, fighting more often than not. The two wolf demons were more like a team than a hero-with-agent deal. Kouga didn't seem too happy with the way it was, but Kagome would never mention it. It wasn't her place, it sure as hell wasn't her business, and Kouga had an ear bud so Ayame could hear everything anyways.

"I wish I had someone watching my back though," Kouga said finally, his shoulder lightly nudging the field agent's. "I hear you're the best."

"_Was_ the best," Kagome corrected. "I haven't been in the field for a long time. This month has been completely different than anything I'm used to."

Kouga grinned. "Probably doesn't help that you've got the world's worst half-breed as a partner."

"You do realize that he can–" Kagome stopped the moment she heard the loud growl, both in her ear and surrounding her. Suddenly Kouga was tackled, taken completely off guard and practically thrown into a nearby building. "Inuyasha!"

The silver-haired half-demon didn't even look at her, stalking up to Kouga looking angrier than she had ever seen him. Kouga had picked himself back up, not even wasting words before kicking Inuyasha in the head. Instantly the two of them came together, fighting and clawing and growling. Kagome stepped forward but had absolutely no way of stopping them.

"Stop what you're doing! Damn it, Inuyasha, come on!" Kagome screamed, knowing it was of no use. Kouga elbowed the half-demon in the ribs, wrenching his body around to grab Inuyasha and _throw_ him down the street. "Kouga, stop it right now!" She sounded like a tired mother, bossy and mostly on the verge of giving up. She ran, trying to get close to where Inuyasha was on the ground but Kouga was far too fast. Suddenly, screams of terror filled the area and Kagome grabbed at her radio. Their fight had made it out of the side street, now on the main road where human civilians were already scared from Arachnid's previous attack.

"I need help to break up a fight," Kagome yelled into the radio. She could see an intersection down where the other FANG agents were, some of them already headed her way. She stared at Kouga and Inuyasha, punching the crap out of each other and yelling about betrayal and ego and of not caring.

Finally, she gave up caring too. Grabbing her bow, Kagome pulled out an arrow and aimed. "Inuyasha, I know you can hear me," she said, mostly into the earpiece. "If you don't stop in five seconds I'm going to shoot you both."

"As long as it's him first," Inuyasha grunted back, howling seconds later in pain.

Kagome exhaled, firing off one arrow and another, her movements smooth and sure. Neither of them knew what hit them, even if Inuyasha had fair warning, and Kouga stumbled off the half-demon on the asphalt and glared.

"I thought you said you never miss," Kouga yelled, hand clutching at his shoulder.

"What makes you think I wasn't aiming for you?" Kagome saw the blood on their sides, the arrow grazes having cut through their field suits. Other agents swarmed around the three of them, some trying to push the civilians away and block off the area.

"Agent Higurashi, the fuck is going on here?" an agent yelled from behind.

Kagome knew that voice, felt her body tighten in response to it. Bankotsu Takeshi, senior field agent and asshole extraordinaire. He had been to that meeting earlier, had asked the hard questions. It has been said that he was next in line for Kaede's position, if she were to ever retire. "Kouga and Inuyasha are having problems with each other, sir," she stated, giving the man a blank look. "They were terrorizing the people and killing each other, so I had to do something."

"Like shoot them?" Bankotsu gave a pointed stare at her bow before roughly shaking his head. "You keep your goddamn partner under control, do you hear me? He's already more fucking trouble than he's worth."

With tight lips Kagome nodded, watching as the senior agent stalked over towards Inuyasha and Kouga, who were getting patched up with a good few feet of distance between them. Bankotsu went over to Inuyasha first and Kagome listened in on the earpiece.

"I've had it with you," Bankotsu hissed. "I have seen you cause numerous goddamn problems in the field over the years but never have you gone at it with another agent. Have your lost your fucking mind?"

"He was doing it again," Inuyasha snapped. "If you actually looked past his fucking ugly smile you'd figure out that the shit he pulls is ten times worse than mine!"

"What's that muttface, want to say that again?" Kouga challenged, ignoring the other FANG agents trying to patch him up.

"I'd rather break that jaw of yours so you'd never speak a word again."

"Enough!" Bankotsu yelled. The senior agent turned and waved over Kagome, and she knew that this time Inuyasha had pushed the limits more than usual. He had overstepped bounds and now they were going to pay, the both of them. "Agent Higurashi," Bankotsu started, "you keep him under control or you will be reassigned. Are we clear?"

Kagome thought they had already gone over that point. "Yes, sir," she replied still, refusing to look at the half-demon. This was his fault anyways. It didn't matter what she did, no one _controlled _Inuyasha. You only _dealt_ with him. Bankotsu nodded and left, grabbing Kouga by the shoulder and dragging the wolf demon away. Kagome watched them leave, wondering if it would be okay to ship Inuyasha off in another car on the way back. "I don't know what your problem is," she stated clearly. "But now you've made it our problem, so what the hell is going on?"

Golden eyes narrowed at her. "Like fuck it's our problem," he hissed. "Everything would be fine if you stayed away from him."

"Why, because he's flirting?" Kagome rolled her eyes. "Of all the rules you break, fraternization is the one you won't? Sorry to shatter your bubble, but it happens all the time."

The growl that ripped out the half-demon's throat took her by surprise. "Just stay the fuck away from him."

She was getting fed up what his repetitive responses that got them absolutely nowhere. "Do you even _realize_ how bad all of this looks? You fighting with another FANG demon, and me having to shoot the both of you so that you won't _kill_ each other? You getting pissed off because Kouga is flirting like he does with everyone else? I'll paint the picture for you; it looks terrible."

"Fuck this," Inuyasha spat. "At least I don't practically sell myself to get some information for an organization that wouldn't give a flying fuck otherwise."

That was the last straw. Kagome's hands clenched and she turned away, wanting so badly to touch him and _burn him_.

Inuyasha sighed then, raggedly. "Look, I didn't– Fuck, just… Give me five minutes, will you? Or is that not enough control?"

"It's acceptable," Kagome bit out. "I won't be here when you get back."

His harsh laugh made the world a whole lot darker. "Yeah, didn't really figure you would."

* * *

_October 21__st__, 2012_

* * *

They didn't communicate unless absolutely necessary for a week. It was relatively slow with regards to Arachnid activity so they were only called out once for something that didn't even happen.

Kagome was at the training centre, shooting arrows and clearing her head when Inuyasha came in. She knew he would; his files showed that he trained there every night between ten p.m. and midnight. This was her plan.

The half-demon didn't talk to her as he walked over, golden eyes a laser focus on the back of her head. She could feel it, like daggers were being stabbed into her.

"You need to tell me what's going on so I can help you and sort it out," Kagome said quietly, nocking another arrow and letting it fly.

"No."

Kagome nocked another one, exhaled, fired. Bullseye. "This is non-negotiable."

"There's a difference you know," Inuyasha started, not sounding angry but simply…tired. "There's a different between the demons we fight out on the streets and the ones that we fight ourselves. Personal demons might not be able to cut you but they can kill you a whole lot faster."

"Then listen to yourself and get some help," Kagome urged, firing three more arrows in rapid succession. The target across the room was littered with them, all of the points exactly where she wanted them to be. "Even if it's not me."

Inuyasha stepped into her sight line, and even though she wasn't focused on him, she could still see the tension vibrating off of him, like it was a living thing that haunted his every step. "I'm not going to fix mine any sooner than you're going to fix yours."

Her last arrow and Kagome shot it down the centre, splitting the other arrow that was blocking its goal. She turned at last to face the silver-haired man, curious. "I don't have any personal demons, not like you do."

Inuyasha raised a brow, looking far too smug even if he was trying not to show her any kind of emotion. "Miroku and Sango miss you," he said quietly, slowly. "It wasn't your fault. I've read all the files, seen all of the reports. There was nothing you could've done."

Kagome slapped her hand down on the button against the wall, waiting for the targets she shot at to slowly move forwards so she could get her arrows and set up all over again. "I guess the demons that kill us won't be walking the earth then."

Inuyasha nodded. He got that.

* * *

Two hours later and Kagome finally got it.

He had changed the topic, like the masterful, pain in the ass that he was. She didn't know what was going on with him and Kouga any more than she knew about his demons or her own. Kagome was his handler though and this was her duty. She needed to know what to look for so she could stop any future problems between them. It affected their performance, their professionalism and lastly, it damaged the reputation that FANG strived to uphold.

It wasn't hard to find what she was looking for. She had access into the database, was able to put in the appropriate tags to find the file.

What was puzzling though, and even more troubling, was that the file itself was above her pay grade. So far above, in fact, that only a handful of people knew about it, including Director Kyouda.

Conveniently, the director was out.

* * *

_October 26__th__, 2012_

* * *

Thankfully, the next time Director Kyouda called Kagome for an emergency meeting was at three in the afternoon, a time that was reasonable. She had been in the office filling out forms, looking over reports from the most recent destructive incident her and Inuyasha were a part of.

This time the room was already full when she got there, the same individuals from before sitting down patiently. Koharu the scientist was back, her sleeves already rolled up like she was halfway to a heart attack. Kaede was standing with her back against the wall, eyes downcast. It wasn't any less powerful of a stance because even Kagome could tell from the back of the room that the older woman was tense, the one grey eye focusing on the floor as decisions clouded her mind.

"Let's get this started," Kaede announced, once the doors were shut and everyone was inside. "We have two important discoveries today and we are now steps closer to taking down Arachnid. Koharu, why don't you start to explain the situation of the well?"

The scientist nodded, licking her lips. "From some newly…_gathered_ information we were able to determine that the portal reaches from the present to a very specific point in the past – the Feudal Era. The well has never been tested so while the demonic powers have somewhat assured a correct location, we cannot be one hundred percent certain."

"The Feudal Era is of great concern," Kaede interjected. "It was a time when demons were the majority and humans had no way great way of protection. Times have changed now – demons didn't breed to the same extent as humans did. We now overpopulate the earth while demons make up the tiniest of all minorities. We can only guess as to what they want to do but the concern that stands out the most is that if Arachnid is able to go back to the past then it could change the course of the future." Kaede turned to look at every single one of the agents in the room. "It could set up plans to eliminate the human race then so that this world would simply not exist."

Bankotsu's voice drawled from the far corner. "Why don't we just destroy the well?"

"We can't," Koharu answered, shaking her head. She slowly unravelled her sleeves. "The demonic power is far too great. We've tried to purify it with the best but none of it has been enough. We're still working on it. Slowly but surely we're taking the well apart and bringing it back here. Our lab is more extensive than what we can take with us, so hopefully we can have some answers soon."

"In the meantime, our goal is to track down who we believe to be the leader of Arachnid. For the past twelve years we've been collecting data on every known link to Arachnid, every demon that comes into and falls out of the picture, and yet we've never gathered any hints as to who this person is. The most we knew was the name Naraku, but we all know it was merely an alias. Naraku has never been seen, never does the dirty work. For the first time, we think we've found him. On October 2nd there was an Arachnid attack, called the Bravo Op. You've all read the file on the explosion that mostly backfired on them." Kaede once again looked around the room, nodding to herself. "A known associate of Arachnid was found there dead and dental records identified the body as Kanna Nogami. Her demonic abilities allowed her to pull out energy through a mirror, which also allowed for communication. When the explosion hit, Kanna was collateral damage and her mirror was cracked. The image of who she was talking to remained imprinted on the glass."

Kagome watched as the individuals in the room grew antsy, some whispers circulating around. Finding Naraku had been the number one priority of FANG for a long time, but it had always been easier said than done.

"We ran the image through every database in the world until we got a hit," Kaede continued. She went over to the table, opened a folder and passed around a stack of booklets for every agent in the room. "His name is Onigumo Morikawa and from what we can tell he's human."

"_Human?_" one of the agents asked. "The leader of a demonic terrorist organization bent on the elimination of the human race is a human?"

Kaede nodded her head, once. "But appearances can be deceiving, Agent Yanaka. We believe he is able to cloak his demonic energy and hide it from sensors. Other than a photo and a set of fingerprints, there is nothing else on the man. He's a ghost, with no known location or family. We would have to try and track down every Morikawa in the world to possibly find a thread of relation."

Kagome stared at the photograph on the second page. He had long black hair, dark brown eyes and an almost narcissistic look about his face. It could've just been the photograph though but somehow, the field agent doubted it.

"This is the man we are looking for," Kaede announced. "This is our goal."

* * *

_October 28__th__, 2012_

* * *

Everything went downhill from the moment they met at the jet, Kagome thought haphazardly to herself as she backed up into a corner. The fight was in full swing – they had been compromised somehow, and Kagome would've believed there was a mole in FANG if not for the fact that the hiding-in-plain-sight campus still hadn't been attacked.

It had all started the second they entered the jet, when Kagome hesitated in the row at the sight of Agent Sango Houko and her partner, a demonic cat named Kirara. The pair relaxing in the leather seats was almost a funny sight to behold, mostly because Kirara could change shape from a domesticated house cat to a raging sabre-toothed jungle cat. Right now she was merely a tiny ball in Sango's lap, purring as the brown-haired field agent ran her fingers through the soft fur.

"Hey," Sango greeted, giving a small smile before looking back down at Kirara. "Guess we're on a mission together."

"Guess so." She couldn't breathe again, and it was getting ridiculous how much it controlled her life. Kagome would've ran back out if Inuyasha hadn't been behind her, tapping her impatiently to sit down already. The ride overseas hadn't been bad at least. Sango asked basic, unobtrusive questions and slowly Kagome felt her muscles loosen somewhat. There was nothing that could get rid of the band tightly wrapped around her chest, but she figured only time could do that and two hours wasn't enough.

The mission had been a kill order for a warlord. It was simple enough but several problems came along with it: the blueprints for the compound were out of date and estimations for how many people actually staying there were unknown. They were two big factors but Kagome had been in worse situations.

Of course, she never counted on _this_.

Kagome pulled the trigger on her Glock, her arms tensing with the recoil as a man went down a few feet away. The sad thing was that it wasn't even their fault the mission had gone to hell. There had been an unplanned attack from another militia who had come in retaliation to a previous battle between themselves and the warlord. They had nowhere to run as the militia attacked, and the four members of FANG had been literally caught in the middle.

"I'm in the basement," Kagome hissed, praying to god the other three were safe. They had gotten separated by a crumbling roof. The buildings of the compound were old and decrepit, most of them with smashed-in holes and rotting wood. Now she was stuck in a winding underground, backed into a corner with only a few bullets left and without any idea of where her team mates were.

"Where are –" Inuyasha's voice crackled, breaking out slightly in the middle. "Agent Higurashi, where–"

"The basement," Kagome repeated. "Basement. The basement." Hopefully one of her messages got through, or enough pieces did for someone to understand.

"Copy, on my way," Sango whispered. "I have Kirara with me. I don't have a visual on Inuyasha."

"Inuyasha, what's your twenty?"

The half-demon didn't respond and the crackling static did nothing to help her nerves. His ear bud had to be dysfunctional because crap like that wasn't supposed to happen. Kagome took a deep breath, steeling herself to move forwards. Automatic training kicked in and her footsteps were light, inaudible despite the gravel under her feet. She kept her gun level and steady, hoping that she'd see one of her team mates sooner rather than later. This whole mission had gone straight to–

The ringing in her ears was painful, her body jerking as thick objects flew on and around her. Suddenly her face hurt, the skin terribly scratched, and Kagome dully realized that she was on the ground unable to move. She tried to take a deep breath but she couldn't get in the air. Something was crushing her chest, making it far too difficult.

"Agent Higurashi, what's going on?" Sango yelled through the earpiece. "Are you down?"

Kagome couldn't do much more than groan. Anything else was too painful, causing her ribs to jostle too much and the breath to leave her all the faster. She tried to kick her legs, maybe get some sort of leverage to push whatever was on top of her and keeping her flat against the ground off. When her ankle cried with a jolt of pain, the rest of her legs completely unable to move and knees aching, she processed that whatever was crushing her chest was crushing the rest of her too. Did another ceiling collapse on top of her?

"I can't find you," Sango stated. She was supposed to sound like a professional, cool and brisk with her head on straight, but Kagome could only hear the utter panic that danced underneath it, licking and taking the fake façade over like a burner on high. "Kirara and I are going to separate; there are too many halls to search together. I'm going to get you. Inuyasha, where are you? Can you hear me? Agent Higurashi is _down_."

There were black dots dancing along her vision now. Her chest burned, throat aching and she realized with a numb sort of understanding that she was passing out due to a lack of oxygen. Maybe she hit her head too hard because none of it was really processing well, nothing making her react in any possibly trained way. It wasn't acceptance but Kagome couldn't exactly think of word to properly describe it.

"Kagome! Holy _fuck_, just hold on," Inuyasha yelled.

Blinking once, twice, the third one even slower than the rest, Kagome wondered why the half-demon was so loud for someone she should only be hearing through the ear bud. Maybe he got it back into working order.

She opened her mouth but it wasn't enough. Kagome felt the burn in her chest intensify, screaming for something she simply couldn't provide and then it all just…went away.

* * *

_October 31__st__, 2012_

* * *

Kagome hated Medical with a passion. It smelled funny and too many good agents had died in the very rooms she passed by. It was probably the reason why, after three days of healing and being forced to stay confined to the small hospital bed, she was back in the office.

It maybe wasn't the smartest decision she had ever made.

Her head was pounding madly, chest and shoulder pulsing every so often with pain. She stared at the desktop computer, the injury report mocking her with all of the white, incomplete lines. Kagome had too much to do but the throbbing wasn't helping to motivate her. Three days of backlog and there wasn't anything she could do to stop it from coming in.

It hadn't been her fault that one of the militia groups decided to bomb a wall she was beside. It also wasn't her fault that the wall hadn't fallen apart so much as crashed as one big chunk on top of her. Nothing had been broken – she was beyond lucky – but she had definitely cracked a few ribs and badly sprained her ankle. Kagome would be lucky if she was out of commission for the next couple weeks. Not that it really mattered; she had tons of paperwork to tide her over.

Groaning softly to herself, Kagome counted to ten, trying to calm down her mind and ignore the pain. She was a field agent, trained for torture and painful situations. The problem was that her life wasn't in danger – not at this current moment – and so her training wasn't entirely kicking in.

It was the quietest of sounds that stirred her attention. Kagome frowned, keeping her head down as she listened. Had she been focused on the injury report, the field agent may never have heard it but the shuffling was definitely there, coming down the hall towards her. From the sounds of it, whoever wanted her attention wasn't _trying_ to be quiet; it just so happened they were naturally close to silent. There was only one person that fit the description on that case. The urge to reach down to the bottom drawer of her desk was still there, instinct battling with common sense as Kagome merely let her hand rest on the handle. If it wasn't the half-demon, she could draw the Glock in seconds anyways.

As expected, silver hair and golden eyes took up her attention, filling her office with words unspoken between the two of them since the team mission. According to Sango's field report, Inuyasha had carried her all the way out, finding the exit for the rest of the team to safely leave while also killing several pissed off and gun-crazy soldiers. She hadn't thanked him yet but then again, this was the job. Kagome would drag his mouthy face through dirt and gravel and over mountains to keep him safe if required. It was merely the job.

But the look on Inuyasha's face dared to suggest otherwise. His golden gaze narrowed at her as he approached the desk, clawed hands tapping impatiently at the edge of it. "What are we?"

Kagome blinked, completely blindsided. _What are we?_ The question was inappropriate, completely out of the blue and there she was, _stranded_. Unprepared. _Terrified_.

What were they? Partners. Working partners that didn't particularly get along but dealt with each other anyways.

They certainly weren't anything more. They couldn't be. There were rules for exactly that sort of thing and if Inuyasha was actually storming into her office to suggest such a thing, Kagome wasn't all too sure what she would do. It was a toss-up, mainly between throwing him out or letting him defile all of her nice paperwork by–

"I mean, we're dysfunctional," Inuyasha continued, obviously sensing that she was having difficulty processing. "We're both broken and we need therapists if we actually work for a place like this that serves oatmeal for lunch. Who the hell does that?"

Yet another comment that completely threw her off base. "You can leave campus if you want," Kagome replied lightly, trying to keep all of the remaining (dwindling) professionalism in her voice. "And you can speak for yourself."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Don't be a fucking moron. You know better than me that we're both fucked up in the head – for being here, for doing this job, for living the lives that we do. It's not a bad thing, just broken." And as if she had handed him a golden invitation, the half-demon moved around to flop onto her large couch. His hands cradled his head, face tilted up to the ceiling. "So how are you feeling?"

"Like I was crushed by a wall," Kagome said, trying with a renewed devotion to finish the report injury. "And who said you could lie on my couch?"

Inuyasha smirked, all cocky and sure. "We're partners, aren't we? Me casa, your casa, whatever."

Right. Partners. At least he was talking to her now without the snide, angry remarks.

Kagome had never really given thought to how difficult her life was because of FANG. The work was rewarding, worth-while even if it was impossibly long hours and full of destruction. It was challenging, always changing and yeah, the field agent could understand the idea of her being a little more on the dysfunctional side.

Especially since when Inuyasha asked the question "what are we?" her initial mental response practically jumped across an entire galaxy to land to the conclusion of _oh hell no, we can't date_. Not even, _oh hell no, we won't date._ Can't. As if the fraternization rule was the only thing stopping her – them – whatever.

This wasn't good.

* * *

_November 16__th__, 2012_

* * *

Of course, it figured that shit would hit the fan not too long after her injury.

For the most part Kagome was back to normal. There were twinges that came when she moved her ankle funny and her ribs still protested with heavy exertion, but things had been getting better. Last week, she and Inuyasha even went on a mission that didn't involve a) surprise attacks by the target, b) surprise attacks by any unexpected enemies of the target, c) bombs, d) gunfire, e) fighting or f) disobeyed orders.

Actually, that was a lie. She told him to stealthily assassinate the arms dealer, a known associate of Arachnid, without leaving a trace. The result was a loud fight scene that led to homicide without leaving a space free of blood and guts on the cement flooring of the warehouse.

Kagome was starting to deal with the way the half-demon interpreted things.

There may have been some fighting between them – when Kagome had said, "you goddamn _asshole_" and Inuyasha had replied, "your plan sucked" and Kagome retorted, "I should suspend your training time" and Inuyasha had grouched, "don't be a bitch" so Kagome snapped, "go kindly fuck yourself" and Inuyasha had possibly-accidentally-on-purpose smirked and said, "why would I do that when I have you?" – but if anyone asked, Kagome refused to admit it.

He had said the question wrong, was all. Inuyasha meant fucking with her mentally, not physically. Field agents and their demonic partners didn't do that. Fraternization rules existed for a reason.

Speaking of the half-demon, Kagome rubbed at her temple while she checked the video feed on the training centre. The silver-haired demon was there, Tetsusaiga slicing things to bits while Inuyasha jumped, twisted and rolled. She hadn't suspended his time, but now she possibly regretted it due to the paperwork she'd need to fill out to replace everything he was destroying.

"Son of a–" The rest of that sentence was drowned out the moment alarms sounded, loud and blaring in her office. This wasn't a drill, it was the real deal.

Something was attacking FANG. She had five minutes to escape.

Shutting off her desktop, Kagome ripped the screen around and grabbed a screwdriver from the top drawer of her desk. She jammed it into the backing, pulling off the plastic cover before running her hands along the top ridge. This was an emergency. FANG was being attacked and protocols had to be followed.

There. Kagome pressed a tiny round button and out popped a thin technological chip, platinum shining in the artificial light. She didn't hesitate, stuffing it into her shirt before grabbing her gun, her knife and whatever else she could find.

"Kagome, what are you doing here?" Inuyasha demanded. He was close, too close since when the field agent stood up he was nearly pressed against her. His clawed hand grabbed at her side, pushing her towards the door. "We have to go."

"You think I don't know that?" Kagome hissed. She flicked off the safety, letting Inuyasha take the lead as they travelled down the hall. She could hear screams further away and she tensed, watching as Inuyasha paused and looked back at her. She nodded, treading now even softer than before as they ran forwards. Two bends in the hallway and there it was – the spider symbol, the Arachnid demon – leaning over and roaring at a terrified scientist.

Inuyasha ran forward as she aimed, sniping the Arachnid demon in the head. Inuyasha grabbed it before the monster could land on the scientist, throwing it aside. He grabbed the woman, tossing her over his shoulder without words as he continued to move forwards. "I can smell them. There are three more coming up."

"We need to get to the tunnels," Kagome stated. "The stairs are on the right. We'll save who we can but our objective is to get to the tunnels."

A loud growl and suddenly Kagome was falling back into the wall, some sort of blast temporarily stunning her. The gun was still in her hand though, so she raised it, sending five bullets flying through the air. All of them hit, two demons crumpling to the ground.

"Come on, Kagome get up!" Inuyasha's growl was strained and she turned her head to see him fighting with another demon, slashing his claws against the Arachnid's throat to get blood all over him.

Kagome squeezed the trigger again when the demon simply wouldn't fall. "It's _Agent Higurashi_, Inuyasha. This is an emergency and you do not–"

"Exactly, it's a fucking emergency! Who gives a shit?" Inuyasha yelled. His golden eyes turned to the scientist, who was pressed against the wall with wide eyes. "Do you give a shit?"

The black-haired field agent didn't wait for an answer, simply running by them towards their destination. The tunnels were at the bottom level and soon they would be locking whoever didn't make it out. And those who didn't make it died due to the self-destruct sequence the entire building was programmed with. It would be an inferno. Time was running fast and they needed to _move_.

Arachnid demons littered in their wake, Kagome shooting at anything sinister. Two agents followed them, guns drawn and three other workers trailed. She had two bullets left in the magazine but they were almost there, just steps away.

"Move!" Inuyasha screamed and Kagome could hear the urgency in his voice, knew something was coming. She stopped despite his words, letting the other agents pass her by. Inuyasha's back was to her, his body moving forwards to kick at an Arachnid demon but they didn't have time. _They didn't have time_. Five minutes was nearly up.

Kagome raised her gun, emptying her second last bullet into the demon's head. It fell to the ground just as Inuyasha looked at her, golden eyes glaring. "We have to go."

"I told you to go!" Inuyasha countered, so quickly at her side with his demonic speed that she didn't even argue when his arm wrapped around her waist, dragging her to the emergency tunnel doors. It was only a sharp turn away and then they would be met with a handful of FANG agents, all ready to shoot at the first thing that had a trance of Arachnid on it.

Kagome felt more than heard anything the second before another explosion hit. It was almost like she could sense the danger coming, with Inuyasha's arm wrapping tighter around her waist, his body sliding closer to the wall for support. The blast knocked them forward, chunks of concrete and metal shrapnel flying in all directions as Kagome stumbled to the floor. She rolled, shooting the last bullet at an approaching demon but realizing that she was done. There was nothing left and more demons were coming. Inuyasha was on the ground, bleeding from his head and squeezing his eyes tightly shut as if to stave off nausea.

"Go," he rasped, ordering her. "Move it, I can hear–"

But Kagome wouldn't let this happen. She wouldn't let this happen to her _again_, not a-_fucking_-gain. Grabbing his hand was futile because she couldn't drag him, couldn't do much more than try to reassure him. The Arachnid demon sneered above her and Kagome kicked out, barely making the yellow-skinned demon do much more than take a step back. She launched herself forward, screaming, hands out in front to do _anything_ when she heard the alarm bells turn into a buzz, the lights in the hallway dimming until they were nearly off.

The tunnels were closed.

They were left behind. The building was going to blow up in less than a minute.

It was only a matter of seconds before her head was slammed into the wall, vomit curling up her throat and her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

* * *

**Comments to Acknowledge**

_(): _Well I updated! Hope you enjoyed.

_BartonA: _Thanks hun :)

_Tammara T: _I'm delighted you like the romance. I try to not make it so repetitive all the time... Thank you!

_Drakko: _Tons more :D

_Savnn: _I simply love you.

_LadySparrow: _Thanks darling :D I hope you like what's coming next. I really liked writing this one!

* * *

**Feedback is always loved :)**


	6. Chapter Six

**Author's Note #1: **HEED THE WARNINGS.

**Author's Note #2: **Website should be up by next week. How to Kill Me should be updated by tomorrow. Winging It should be by this weekend.

**Author's Note #3: **I'm behind on replies, forgive me, I'm trudging through.

**Author's Note #4: **Due to the FFN-ADMIN-ARE-REMOVING-EVERYTHING situation, I recommend that you AUTHOR ALERT me. Only because when a story is removed, I will make a "new story" with the same title and give you a link. **ALERTING/FAVOURITING A STORY WILL DO NOTHING ONCE IT'S REMOVED**.

**Author's Note #5: **I need **artists!** Check profile for details.

**Author's Note #6: **Poll is done. Results are shown and I'm working on it ;)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha. I do not profit from this story.

**Chapter Warnings: **AU, explicit swearing, extreme violence, mentions of off-screen rape, extremely graphic torture.

* * *

**What You're Falling On**

**Chapter Six**

* * *

_July 24__th__, 2009_

_Day 5_

* * *

Something broke inside of her after that.

Maybe it was the fact that she stated out loud how she was willing to die. It wasn't honourable and it certainly wasn't favourable. The fact was though that Kagome wouldn't be able to live with herself if it came to that. If Miroku died, she would too. It wasn't fair that he was taking the brunt of the torture just to force her to speak.

It only got worse.

Gatenmaru walked in the next day holding something that looked… She couldn't even say what it was. It wasn't technological but there were sparks coming from it, whatever it held was clearly black. She could see an aura around it – and that in itself was pretty unbelievable. With the powers she had, it wasn't all that surprising to see auras. The problem had been that she had never been strong enough _to_ see them. That meant she was suddenly stronger or this thing that was being boxed up was so evil and so powerful, even the practically blind could see the darkness that surrounded it.

Kagome was positive it wasn't the first option.

Black demonic energy, boxed up into something truly despicable. Kagome could only hope that if it killed them, the death would be quick.

It didn't kill them.

It wasn't even for her.

Gatenmaru asked her once, patiently, just like he did every day. Just like always, Kagome responded with the same engrained mantra that would always follow. "FANG agents do not negotiate. We aim for the greater good of humanity, the greater good of the world. FANG agents do not negotiate."

She should've known. She should've realized that today wasn't like any other day. That first question had been her only chance – her last chance – to make things right. Kagome should've given him the answer, although Miroku probably never would've forgiven her for it anyways.

Miroku was taken and dragged. Kagome could barely see what was happening but the box was opened and another demon – a voice not quite so deep, but definitely evil, definitely powerful – chanted something. She tried to understand what was going on but couldn't, not from her viewpoint.

The next thing she heard was Miroku screaming.

It wasn't like yesterday. While he had been whipped and broken and bleeding, Miroku had remained almost strong. He smiled at her, he told her he was okay. He made her say the words that she wanted to ignore in exchange for what the Arachnid demon wanted.

Today was filled with a scream that was blood-curdling, excruciating. He was dying and Kagome couldn't even watch. She was forced to be alone, yelling at the top of her lungs for them to stop. She would tell them damn it, she would tell them. She was _sorry_, she would fucking tell them if only they _stopped_.

It felt like an eternity to her. Finally Miroku was silent other than the sounds of his harsh breathing. He was alive that meant. He was alive and breathing and Kagome would fight again another day.

The demon that had done the chant excused himself and left. Kagome couldn't get a good look at him, though all she could see were long locks of black hair. It wasn't enough to point him out if she happened to live.

Gatenmaru walked back to her while another demon dragged Miroku's limp body behind him. Kagome couldn't look away from her friend, seeing his chest rising and falling and not quite believing it. "Happy now?" Gatenmaru asked, lips curving into a wicked smile. "You know, I'm almost pleased you've held out until now. We've always wanted to try this."

Nausea rose in her throat and Kagome barely held back the vomit that wanted to leak out. She looked at the red-eyed demon squarely, trying not to show fear but utterly failing. "I'm going to kill you even if it's the last thing I do."

He laughed and a small part of her couldn't blame him. She would probably laugh too if the positions were reversed. "Set him up," Gatenmaru barked at the other demon. Kagome watched as Miroku was dragged away again, his blue eyes fluttering around like he wasn't sure of where he was or what was happening. His right hand was bleeding but only slightly. There was a large ball of cloth covering the palm of his hand, beads draped across that she couldn't quite make out. What had they done?

Gatenmaru grabbed her by the neck again, making new bruises hurt even more. He pulled her up like that, pushing her back into the nearby wall so he could crowd against her. "This is your last chance Kagome," the demon murmured. "You won't be alive in the next five minutes if you don't give me an answer."

Kagome kept her mouth shut, hating him, hating herself.

"Such a mouth and yet you don't speak," Gatenmaru murmured. He bent down, bit at her lip so that it was torn apart again, bleeding. She hissed at the pain and trying to pull back, but the sting only worsened when he dragged his tongue across it, making the copper spill out even more. He pulled back with a grin, blood on his upper lip as he sucked it off. "Too bad I won't get to play with you before you're dead."

There were so many things she could say, and yet she kept quiet. If these were her final moments, she was going to do them right.

The Arachnid demon dragged her over, forcing her to her knees so that she could stare at her friend. He bent down, grabbing her hair. "See his hand? It's a lot more powerful now than it used to be."

Kagome stared at it, at the beads that covered the area. Miroku was looking at her, blinking like he knew her face but couldn't place a name. At least, for this, he wouldn't be conscious enough. Maybe when they died he wouldn't feel a thing.

"Take it off, point it away. I want her to see it," Gatenmaru ordered the other demon. The lackey looked nervous at first but a growl from the other demon had him following, grabbing Miroku's right hand and pointing it away towards the empty part of the room. In one quick motion he removed the beads and pulled away the cloth, his other hand holding Miroku's wrist steady as a sudden terrifying wind surrounded the room. Boxes started shifting, the room shaking as the wind…as the wind _sucked_ into Miroku's hand. Kagome stared in horror, unbelieving to the sight she was seeing.

What had they done? Fuck, what had they done?

Kagome couldn't help it. The tears started to fall down her face because she couldn't hold them back anymore. Miroku would never forgive her. She would _never_ forgive herself.

Just as fast as it came, the demon covered the hole in his hand back up. The cloth was there, and so were the beads. It seemed to be the only thing to stop the storm from coming. Gatenmaru laughed loudly, shoving Kagome down to the ground for a second before using her long hair to yank her back up. "See that? You'll both be sucked in there. All we have to do is cut his hand so deep the Wind Tunnel will engulf you both."

Miroku's blue eyes connected with her then, as if Gatenmaru's words actually held meaning to him. So he was a little more conscious than she thought. Kagome's tears didn't stop.

"Last chance," the Arachnid demon said. "Where is FANG's base located?"

Miroku coughed and Kagome opened her mouth. "It's– It's–"

"FANG agents do not negotiate. We aim for…" Miroku coughed, blood dribbling from his lips. "We aim for the greater…the greater good of humanity."

He didn't want her to give up. He wanted her to end this, and end this right. They were the ones meant to destroy demons of evil, demons that wanted to kill the human race off because they were inferior. It was their job to protect millions. It was their duty to uphold something so difficult and so secret that they were isolated from the rest of the world. The rest of the humans would never know of their sacrifices but that was because it wasn't necessary.

Agents of FANG did this because they knew what was right. They understood justice, stood beside her everyday even when she fell to her knees.

This was no different and even as they faced death, Kagome realized giving in now would be a sad and pathetic cliché. She would be the one that possibly let evil win the war. She'd never know either way, she'd be dead, but the thought would haunt her. Could she live with those consequences?

Miroku struggled to sit up a bit but was forced back down by the other demon.

"Well Kagome?" Gatenmaru pushed. "Where is it?"

The answer was there, stuck in the back of her throat. The location coordinates, the answer that would give Arachnid what it needed to destroy everything.

Kagome looked at Miroku, watched his face as his bruised and bloodied cheeks lifted. He smiled at her, and even in that state, it looked like the cocky grin she knew all too well.

"FANG agents do not negotiate. We aim for the greater good of humanity, the greater good of the world. FANG agents do not negotiate."

Then everything ended.

* * *

_Present Day_

_November 17__th__, 2012_

* * *

She didn't open her eyes, not at first.

Kagome instinctively knew everything about her situation was bad. Her wrists throbbed, the painful feel of rope digging into her skin. She was bound, although she wouldn't know if she was attached to anything until she moved. Her left leg was numb but she was lying on her side and had probably been stuck that way for a while.

It was happening again.

Sitting up slowly, Kagome looked around the empty room. It was clearly some sort of basement – not a warehouse, not like the last time. It was dirty and disgusting, with pipes running along the ceiling and leaking in corners of the room. It smelled distinctly of urine, which wasn't a good thing considering. It meant that they weren't the first and therefore probably a last resort to their captors. Arachnid wasn't known to be very hospitable to their hostages anyways.

Inuyasha was leaning against the wall beside her, still out. There was something about the rawness of his wrists though that suggested he had been awake a few hours before her, possibly asleep on his own terms. She looked away before she could make any more assessments. Kagome knew this game now. She knew how to survive a little better than her last go around.

The field agent didn't know how long it was before the sounds of footsteps echoed above her. It was the first sign of life outside of Inuyasha's quiet breathing and the noise had the half-demon opening his golden eyes, the orbs immediately landing on her.

"Kagome?" he whispered, throat rough. "You okay?"

She didn't want to do this, but now Kagome had absolutely no choice. "It's Agent Higurashi from this moment forward, you got it?" The words were a harsh whisper, her brown eyes focused ahead where a bolted door was. The half-demon didn't even get to respond before a man walked in, looking completely disinterested with an air of arrogance surrounding him. He looked simple enough; long black hair, beady eyes, completely non-threatening. He looked every inch human, radiating nothing of the demonic power that one could generally sense around demons.

That meant only one thing.

"The second best of FANG," the man said, his eyes moving from Inuyasha's body to hers. "Inuyasha: a half-demon with a strange success record that's only outmatched by his strikes against him for bad behaviour." He smiled and the look was absurdly cruel. "And we can't forget Agent Kagome Higurashi, now can we? Not your first rodeo, I remember."

Kagome dared to meet his stare head on, not giving an inch. "Naraku, it's nice to finally meet you. Ready to get your hands dirty like a big boy and play with the others?"

If Naraku was surprised that she knew about him, he certainly didn't show it. He was completely calm, disciplined. "Your reputation proceeds you as well," he continued, as if nothing happened. "A good field agent with exemplary skills and control who has a shady record with the psychiatrists at FANG and a file that's for the director's eyes only."

She nodded. It was all true, even if the high-level file was a bit surprising to her. Arachnid must have gotten into their systems before it all blew up.

"How does it feel to be in this position yet again, Agent?" Naraku asked, looking genuinely concerned if not for a glint of cruelty in his eyes. "Are you willing to imagine what I will do compared to Gatenmaru before me? I was there you know, making your subordinate scream while we cursed him with that wind tunnel."

It took absolutely everything in her to keep her jaw locked, firmly held together so she didn't do anything stupid. Kagome wanted to make him bleed, make him suffer. She wanted to punch the smile off his face, skin it off and burn it in hell. The moment FANG came to get them – and they were coming – Kagome would do exactly that.

Naraku walked closer, kicking Inuyasha's foot lightly. The half-demon growled, his own feet tied double of what she had, the rope a different kind of material. "I've always wanted to meet you," the black-haired man said. "A half-demon – one of the few left. I'm frankly surprised you're even alive."

To his credit, Inuyasha didn't say anything right away. He kept his golden eyes sharp, deadly accurate on the man before him. "What do you want?"

"Right to the point, I can respect that." Naraku kicked at his foot again before turning towards Kagome. "I want the location of the Shikon no Tama. Tell me and you'll have three peaceful days to live and say your goodbyes. Don't tell me and what happened to you before," Naraku said pointedly to Kagome, "is going to seem like a vacation."

"So we die either way," Inuyasha snapped, drawing the Arachnid's attention away. "Son of a bitch, did your mother not love you?"

Naraku laughed. He shrugged carelessly. "I know you won't know where it is, so my concern isn't with you, half-breed. It's Agent Higurashi I'm more interested in."

All fucking over again. The problem was that Kagome didn't actually _know_ the answer. The only things she knew were that it did, in fact, exist and that the Shikon no Tama _had _been in FANG's possession – all remaining information and knowledge was for Director Kaede Kyouda and those few above her. The best she could give, even if she was going to give it, would be an educated guess.

"So why don't you make things easy on yourself?" Naraku asked, almost gently. "You don't need to go through what you already have again."

"You're asking the wrong person," she answered instead. "That's above my access level. I don't know."

Naraku stared at her hard. "No, I'm pretty sure you do. You see, Arachnid got a lot more information from our raid than just a few scientists and agents. I know you have information on the jewel, and I want it."

"I don't know what you saw but I don't have anything. It was above my access level," Kagome repeated, trying to get the message across. They would be trapped here anyways, shot dead soon enough. She could try to delay and that would be the best idea. Kagome only needed to give FANG time to regroup because they had her location. The chip shoved into her bra hadn't been for nothing. It was small enough too that even if she'd been checked, they wouldn't have felt it.

"Too bad those above your access level are dead then," Naraku stated plainly, his expression twisting until it was a blank canvas, unreadable. "Your dear director, throat sliced and body burning. She didn't make it."

Kaede was dead? Kagome had to fight to stop any facial reactions, keeping her heart rate consistent.

"Where is the Shikon no Tama?" Naraku asked, the sound of his voice making it horribly final.

She had no choice. The words tasted like bittersweet ash on her tongue. "FANG agents do not negotiate. We aim for the greater good of humanity, the greater good of the world. _FANG agents do not negotiate_."

Naraku smiled. "That's what I thought."

Nothing had been done – no one called out or even moved – but suddenly there were loud noises above them, the sound of footsteps getting increasingly closer until the basement door opened and four demons stepped through the threshold.

"Just say hello boys," the Arachnid leader stated, turning his back on the two FANG agents. "I don't feel like dealing with them today."

Kagome was left bleeding, with a split lip and the potential for bruises that would touch every inch of her body. Inuyasha had that plus a broken arm.

The first day and Kagome already wanted to crumble.

* * *

_November 18__th__, 2012_

* * *

She was brought out from her sleep by pain her in her left ankle, the bone horribly bruised and the surrounding skin swollen by Naraku's brutes the night before. Her sleep had been fitful anyways, far too light for any real resting. It was a matter of instinct to preserve herself, to keep herself from falling behind on her game.

"Kag– Higurashi?" Inuyasha whispered, face tightening at the mistake. "Hey, you okay?"

"I'm fine," she murmured back, just as quiet. His golden eyes stared at her, trying to get a better read and suddenly she felt bad for yesterday. Kagome knew this made her possibly the worst agent for torture around, but trying to remain impassive was far too difficult for her.

She swallowed, remembering back to last time, to Miroku. She _couldn't_. Forcing back the apology that wanted to make its way past her lips for snapping yesterday, Kagome looked him over, taking in the broken arm. The half-demon was smart at least, having it pressed in the corner between the wall and the floor, giving it about as good as his arm was going to get for proper support. A demon with a broken bone would heal properly in three to four days. Inuyasha would probably take a far amount longer.

"Do you think they're listening?" Inuyasha asked, the sound of his voice filled with venom despite its low volume. She could see the murder in his eyes, the wish to kill every Arachnid.

"I don't see cameras or speakers, but that doesn't mean they aren't here," Kagome answered simply. She looked at the bolted door, ears straining for any noise from above signalling that their captors knew of their consciousness. Kagome didn't know what time it was, what day.

Inuyasha's mouth thinned out. It looked like he desperately wanted to say something to her but knew he couldn't voice it. Not here, not without proof they were utterly alone. Kagome watched as the half-demon rested his forehead against the cement ground again, his face showing the discomfort of the position even though it favoured his arm. She had read his file several times by now, so familiar with it that she could probably cite every word. Inuyasha had never been captured before.

She had to tell him, to lay it all out on the line even with the risk of being overheard. Kagome was only so strong and she needed a form of support to make sure she didn't lose her composure, not for Naraku or any of his lackeys. Kagome wasn't stupid: she wasn't like the vast majority of agents at FANG. She wasn't military trained, had never seen death and violence and cruelty in its truest form before her first capture with Miroku. Kagome had powers that made her important to FANG without any necessary prior training. She'd gotten that from them, sure, but nothing could replace actually seeing and experiencing it beforehand. Miroku had been trained for years before joining FANG's ranks, having seen all of it. Sango too – a different agency, but much of the same experiences that Miroku suffered. It was because of this weakness that Miroku had suffered when they were first captured. She hadn't been strong, hadn't contained her emotions enough to prevent leverage.

This time would be different though. This time she would hide it, put her feelings under lock and key and hide them in the deepest recesses of her mind. She already had the first part of saving them put into action – waiting on FANG to respond was their own hope. In the meanwhile, she had to do everything in her power to delay Naraku, to keep them alive and breathing long enough to make FANG's future save worth it.

"Inuyasha, I need you to listen to me," Kagome whispered, keeping her voice as low as possible. She knew Inuyasha could hear it though, the ears on the top of his head twitching in her direction. She lowered her head, told him not to look at her. "We need to be indifferent here. You can't care about me, just as much as I can't care about you. They'll use it, do you understand me? If you call me Kagome, they'll _know_."

Know what, she didn't say. She couldn't put into words the thing that had involved them from day one, the strange circling dance that had them fighting and keeping the other on their toes. It was something similar to what she'd seen before: Miroku and Sango, their early days of meeting where Miroku did nothing but verbally harass her with compliments and she did nothing but punch his lights out on the training mats. This thing – this _them_ – was different. Inuyasha rebelled against her every wish and she fought back in the only ways that it mattered to him. A different song and dance to the same tune, Kagome thought wryly.

It was only then that she realized Inuyasha had said nothing to counter her words. He was _listening_, and it startled her. As out of character as it seemed, it was certainly plausible – first time capture and all.

When the sound of heavy footprints came over them, Kagome could only tense up and wait. When Naraku came in, smiling cruelly, she could only keep her mouth firmly shut.

And when Inuyasha's broken arm had been smashed into the cement right by her feet, his grunt of pain a mask for the scream underneath, Kagome could only repeat the same damning words that she had grown to hate.

* * *

_November 19__th__, 2012_

* * *

It wasn't until Naraku came down, hours later with two plates of food in his hand, that Kagome decided something was clearly different about today. The passage of time had been far too great for it to have only been their second day there, but Kagome couldn't really know anything without any visible light.

"Good morning," Naraku murmured, kicking over a chair to put one of the plates of food on. He stepped closer, pulling out a knife from a sheath somewhere along his back and grinning at Kagome. "Have a good nap?"

Kagome said nothing, brown eyes only glancing at the knife for a brief second before ignoring the metal. She would not show fear, no matter how badly beaten she had been from their last visit.

Sighing like he was put upon, Naraku put the plate of food down. "I was hoping to try a different approach, since you're quickly narrowing down my options, Agent." He pointed the knife at Kagome, his eyes all too serious. "I told you it was going to get bad and I'm afraid this is my last offering to you." When Kagome didn't say anything, he dragged the knife across the ropes that bound Kagome's wrists. The burn was excruciating as they slipped from her raw skin, but she bit back the whimper.

No fear. No leverage.

She didn't even know why he was untying her to begin with. Naraku put the knife back in its sheath, handing her the plate of food. "Go on and feed him," the Arachnid leader said, kicking her with his foot towards the half-demon. Inuyasha, who had been silent the entire time, watched with wary eyes. "Well I'm not going to untie you," Naraku pointed out, grinning. "Not yet anyways."

Kagome shifted over, ignoring the numbness in her bound legs as she tried to get closer to the half-demon. She picked up the overcooked meat and put it to his lips, trying to remain as detached as possible. More often than not she watched Naraku, who now sat in the chair with the other plate on the ground. "Why are you doing this?" she asked, glaring.

"As I said, my last offering," Naraku replied, running a hand through his long black hair. "I know you know the location Agent Higurashi. We saw the file on your director's computer that said everything for the jewel went back to you. Playing dumb isn't going to work."

Kagome nearly dropped the piece of food from Inuyasha's mouth, hand stilling for the briefest of seconds. Naraku had to be lying though, because she knew _nothing_. There was no reason that she could think of that Kaede would create a file that led anything on the Shikon no Tama to her. It wasn't possible. There had never been a debriefing, never a hint of something more to whatever Kagome had been given the past few months working as a field agent. "I told you, I don't know anything," she said finally, trying to keep her voice from wavering. Kaede was dead now anyways, so Kagome may never find out why or what was truly going on.

Naraku shook his head. "I'm not liking the start of this," he growled, getting impatient. "I've waited too fucking long for games now. Do you know how long it took to get FANG to take the bait? Months of my time, months of planning and then more months of just _waiting_. For an organization meant to do more saving than killing, you took long enough." His words were angry, snapped off at the ends to emphasize his point. "Finding FANG's headquarters was probably the most tiring thing I've ever done. When Gatenmaru failed and died, I realized how stubborn you FANG agents truly were. I had to get creative."

Suddenly, it clicked, and Kagome did freeze then.

Inuyasha seemed to sense it, seemed to put the puzzle pieces together too as he growled. It made sense that he understood too though, mostly because he'd been there. "The well. You planned it, planned for us to find it."

Kagome had her suspicions on it, never actually having the chance to voice them. If she hadn't been dealing with Inuyasha, she'd been on a mission with him or filling out the subsequent damage reports from him. Kaede had been too busy to take any unplanned meetings anyways, too absorbed with a new project that she wasn't of a high enough rank to know about.

"Insolent humans," Naraku muttered. "Of course the well. It took your lab rats long enough to figure out they couldn't do it all from its original location. For having the best and brightest, I don't hold much hope for the human race."

"You want to exterminate us all anyways," Kagome said, voice serious. In her mind, she was sliding the puzzle into place. Her last meeting with Kaede and the others had explained it – the scientists had finally started to bring pieces of the well back to the lab for greater inspection, since not all of the equipment could be brought there. There must have been a tracking device buried inside of it, something that they wouldn't have picked up on.

Naraku shrugged carelessly. "You don't exactly give me any shining examples to keep you alive. All of you are nothing more than rats, over-breeding and spreading the incompetence. Your kind is worse than a disease."

With Arachnid knowing the location of FANG, they infiltrated for the purpose of obtaining the jewel. It was their plan all along, although Kagome had no idea what for. She'd never been truly aware of the Shikon no Tama before a month or so ago, and never paid it any mind until they were recently captured. Kaede had never mentioned it; there had never been a debriefing. Kagome had assumed it was a low-level trinket that they kept in their care for reasons that were need-to-know for a specific situation only. Now, Kagome realized it was the opposite.

"What do you even want the Shikon jewel for anyways?" Kagome asked, putting the last chunk of meat in Inuyasha's mouth before she put the plate down, immediately moving back to her original spot. Staying close to the half-demon would make her take comfort in it, and she couldn't drink it in, not now with Naraku so near and watching.

Naraku glared at her. "To kill you humans," he snapped viciously. "Yet another shining example of your brilliance. Are you even aware what it does, or are you just useful for co-ordinates?"

Kagome kept her mouth shut, choosing not to respond. Naraku was growing more and more agitated and she feared what would happen if he snapped. Suddenly, the second plate was slid her way along the floor. Naraku gestured for her to eat it, so she did, slowly.

"The well you found wasn't the actual model," Naraku explained, sounding rather displeased. "It was a trap you fell for. It's based off of an actual well, an actual portal between time that links the present with the Feudal Era. However, the powers are not demonic and the only power signature that matches is the Shikon no Tama."

"And how the fuck would you know that?" Inuyasha asked, his lazy drawl infuriating, even to Kagome's own ears. She had heard him speak like that numerous times, usually before he disobeyed her and ran head first into danger. "Are you a fan of pink sparkling objects?"

Naraku growled, low in his throat. It was the only thing that distracted Kagome from looking over at her partner, from her brown eyes widening with the realization that the half-demon _knew_ about the jewel. She knew, surely because her access level was high enough. Inuyasha on the other hand, shouldn't know about it at all. The fact that he did raised more questions, made something in her tighten. His file had read that Inuyasha had been found by unusual means, kept because of his relation to his half-brother, Sesshomaru. His past was the only possible explanation.

"Agent Higurashi, I'm presenting you with two options once more," Naraku said, turning his hard eyes to her. "You tell me where the location of the jewel is or I make the both of you beg for death by the time I'm finished with you. And trust me, I like to keep the pets I have chained. Your other friends from FANG haven't exactly lasted, but they were all human and useless to me. You two, on the other hand, are a little more appealing for a long-term stay."

Kagome shook her head, sickeningly relieved by the fact that Naraku promised torture long enough for FANG to possibly rescue them. It was a horrible wish to have granted, but Kagome would take the heavy price. "FANG agents do not negotiate," she said. The rest of the sentence wasn't needed, not with the way Naraku's eyes narrowed. The Arachnid leader stood up, taking the mostly finished plate from her hands. Just like the days before, more footsteps could be heard coming towards them. It made Kagome realize that there _must_ be something listening in on them, because soon the demons were coming through the bolted door.

"First things first," Naraku hissed, grabbing her by the hair and _yanking_.

Inuyasha growled low in his throat, swearing up a storm as he struggled against his bonds. It was too difficult for him though, to roll from his position on the floor with his broken arm surely giving him trouble. Kagome tried to catch his gaze, to assure him it was alright when everything clearly wasn't.

Another demon with violet hair grabbed Inuyasha by the back of his field suit, dragging him upwards. Kagome couldn't watch anymore as Naraku smashed her head into the cement floor, black dots lining her vision at the assault. She kept her mouth closed, kept the air pumping into her lungs until something was suddenly pressing on top of her, making it difficult.

She snapped her eyes open, not even realizing that they had been closed. Inuyasha was on top of her, his chest and shoulders pressing her down into the cement. His arms circled her head, still bound and making it difficult for her to see anything beyond him. Her own arms were pinned underneath him, unable to move against his weight.

Naraku laughed and Inuyasha grunted, closing his eyes tight as he tried to look away from her. They were too close though, and whatever pressure they were putting on his lower back prevented him from moving, prevented him from getting up at all.

"Remember Agent Higurashi, I gave you your chance," Naraku whispered, only pausing in his laughter to tell one of his lackeys to 'do it.'

There was a crackle in the air, something sharp and static that made her body rigid. Kagome couldn't see what was going on, what they were doing to stop Inuyasha from fighting back, when all of a sudden the half-demon _screamed_. Inuyasha's face, so carefully held together was torn apart like nothing she'd ever witnessed. His eyes were open, golden flecks shrouded with pain as his body seized on top of hers. His roar deafened her ears, made the electric current she could feel tingling her body barely a hint of pain. They were electrocuting him, she realized with horror. They were torturing him so that she could watch, and keep watching, and have to tell Naraku _no, _and _no, FANG agents do not negotiate_ only to see it happen again.

When the crackle stopped, it took several more minutes for Inuyasha to stop jerking. His body twitched with aftershocks, face pale with pain as he tried to bring his body in on itself, to hide from whatever else they were planning on doing. He was frozen though, unable to move from on top of her. Inuyasha wasn't going to be able to fight back even if he wanted to.

"You can tell me the location any time you wish," Naraku said suddenly, from somewhere close to her. She couldn't see him, couldn't see past the long silver locks of Inuyasha's hair or his golden, pained orbs.

Kagome stared at Inuyasha, realizing that it was going to happen again and she couldn't stop it.

"Hiten, Manten, again please."

It took only seconds this time, but soon Inuyasha was screaming again, nothing held back, nothing contained. He was in absolute agony, his teeth grinding so hard he was going to break something. Kagome couldn't see the two demons doing this, but they were strong and knew exactly where to touch to make it the most effective.

Seconds felt like hours, as Inuyasha yelled louder and louder with each passing tick in her mind. Finally, _finally_, it stopped and Kagome pushed her head upwards, ignoring the shocks to her own system at the feel of the electricity touching her. It was nothing compared to Inuyasha, nothing that made her stop to focus on herself. His pain was so tangible that it completely took away from her own, and Kagome realized that it was not enough. She wasn't suffering enough for all of it. Her forehead now pressed against his, she whispered against his lips, keeping as quiet as she could. She hoped he could hear her, hoped that the pain wasn't clouding absolutely everything.

"Bite my shoulder Inuyasha," she instructed. "Do it now."

Inuyasha hazily looked at her, seeing her without actually _seeing her_. Her point wasn't getting across. "Bite my shoulder," she insisted, nipping his cheek to get the point across.

Another voice, a feminine one that she recognized, spoke. "Again."

Inuyasha blinked, hesitating only a second longer before he sank his teeth into her shoulder. The electrocution started barely a second after, his whole body rocking with it as he bit down. She could feel the pricks of pain, the worsening shocks of electrocution on her own body trapped under his. Inuyasha was being tortured the worst, to force her to speak words she couldn't. The least she could do was offer him something that didn't making him bite off his own tongue or break every one of his teeth. It was nothing – not even worth noting – but Kagome couldn't give him anything else.

When the countless seconds passed and Inuyasha's breathing was ringing in her ear, Kagome held back a sob that so desperately wanted to escape. She had to remain stoic, had to keep her indifference up. They couldn't know, couldn't see how this was affecting her. They would only do it more, only worsen it for the half-demon.

She didn't want to know what could be worse.

Inuyasha lifted his head then, mouth bloody and skin so ashen he looked like he was already dead. Kagome wanted to scream when the woman told the two lightning demons to get on with it.

She bit her own lip when Inuyasha bit down again, this time almost too late before the shocks ran through his body. His teeth sank into the junction between her shoulder and neck, far more painful than before but she would _never_ complain or tell him to do otherwise. She deserved it, all of it.

It was the last time they electrocuted Inuyasha, kicking him ruthlessly off of her afterwards. He curled in on himself, unable to help his body's reaction to preserve. Kagome could see for the first time the demons in the room: the two male demons that Kagome assumed to be the lightning demons, another demon with violet hair that stood in the corner, and finally, the female demon that Kagome actually was acquainted with.

_Kagura_, Kagome thought. She was clearly in charge of the rest of the bunch there, her ruby red lips curving into a distasteful frown. Kagome watched as the woman stepped closer, grabbing Kagome's hands and throwing her into the nearby wall.

"You _will_ speak," Kagura hissed, following her. The demon bent down, about to grab her again when Kagome surged upwards and touched Kagura's face. She gritted her teeth, clawing into the woman's skin as she let her purification powers pulse from within. Kagura screamed and in that instant Kagome felt bone-deep satisfaction, utter glee at the demon's pain. She wanted to _murder_ her, make her suffer as much as Inuyasha was.

There was only a second for that thought to process before she was kicked from behind. Her back cracked, body bending as she flew forwards. Her hold on Kagura didn't lessen, her fingertips feeling blood seep under the nails. Kagura lashed out, screaming some more in rage and Kagome finally lost her grip. She flew towards the ground, head smashing into the cement floor.

Kagome turned her head, brown eyes barely managing to focus on Inuyasha's broken body before she lost complete consciousness.

* * *

_November 20__th__, 2012_

* * *

"Higurashi."

It was a fog, thick and overpowering. Kagome couldn't get out of it, too lost in the darkness as the mist threatened to suffocate her.

"Higurashi, _please_." There was a soft nudge, not a hand or a finger, but something pressing against her face, brushing along her cheeks. "Fucking– _Come on, _wake up." The voice was so close to her ear, and she wasn't trapped in a black oblivion, she was somewhere important, somewhere not alone.

Blinking her eyes open, Kagome instantly turned her head towards the caresses, realizing with a foggy sort of clarity that Inuyasha's golden eyes were right there, boring into her. His face was not even an inch away, her nose resting against his. This was crossing the line, surely. This wasn't professional, not at all what she could let their captors see. She turned her head away, trying to ignore the fact that Inuyasha had been trying to nuzzle her awake because his arm was broken and he was still tied up. "Are you okay?" she asked, unable to stop herself, to stop the words from pouring out. She shifted backwards a little, able to take in his features without being so close. There was blood around his mouth, dried, although it looked like there had been some effort to remove it. Kagome tried to ignore the fact that it was her blood on his lips. The thought just made her realize the mess of her own neck and shoulder, her field suit crinkling with the dried crimson liquid.

"We don't have much time," Inuyasha whispered, pressing his head back down against the cement. "There's something wrong with their system. An Arachnid came down earlier and tapped at something, what I figure is their microphone or whatever. Maybe not, but there was yelling upstairs. It was muffled, but I heard someone demanding to have it fixed so that they could have _ears_."

Kagome took a deep breath, turning her head away to look back at the ceiling. Well, the malfunction could mean anything, or it could be a trap. She swallowed, trying to make a decision. "They're going to come for us," she whispered, trying to move her lips as little as possible. "I have a tracking chip on me."

The half-demon didn't respond, but she didn't really expect him too. It took a long moment for him to even sigh, the sound strangled. "Everything was blown up, how is it even useful?"

"The tunnels have evac equipment prepared," Kagome responded. "All field agents are supposed to get the chip on their person within a minute of the alarm sounding, just in case."

"Not all of them," Inuyasha stated, and the black-haired woman didn't have to look to tell he was frowning. "I've been with a bunch of handlers, some of them higher up than you. None of them had a chip for the emergency process."

"There hasn't been an emergency, so how would you even know?" Kagome asked, daring to look at him.

"The training demos," Inuyasha answered, the _obviously_ left unsaid.

"Maybe they were too lazy," the field agent muttered back. How would she know? Training demonstrations only happened once a year. She'd only been through one as a technical 'field agent.' The two years before she'd been a rookie in training and learning the ropes, and then the three years after she'd been working in the Crisis Centre, where the most she had to do was run up a flight of stairs to the tunnels.

It was quiet for a long time between them, casual conversation pointless in such a situation. Kagome wondered if trying to talk to the half-demon would even be worth it. They'd formed some sort of relationship over the past few months, as rocky and angry as it generally was. But Inuyasha had her back as much as she had his. There weren't a lot of people in the world that had such a precious thing.

"So what's with you and you-know-who?" Kagome asked finally, wondering if Inuyasha would even respond at all. He would get the reference, she was sure.

Another sigh could be heard, and Inuyasha groaned. "This is what you want to talk about before we die?" he asked, somewhat sarcastically. Kagome chose not to comment on it. "It doesn't really matter now anyways."

"I checked him out," she pushed, speaking words for reasons unknown. "He was clean except for one file and even I couldn't access it. I can only imagine that it's probably the reference I would need to figure out what's going on between the two of you."

"You did?" There was a certain amount of shock in the half-demon's voice, something truly amazed. "Why?"

"Because you're my partner," Kagome muttered. "It's my job to know everything so I can save your constantly-running-into-danger ass." The small smirk was worth the price of what she had just admitted. "So?"

"He's not a good guy, no matter what everyone thinks of him," Inuyasha started. "He flirts a lot – fine. He's a charmer. Everyone loves him, and then there are people who actually _love him_."

Kagome frowned, unable to help herself from looking at the silver-haired man with what was undoubtedly a look of confusion.

"Not me," Inuyasha growled, pissed off remarkably fast. His jaw was clenched, harder than it should b»e for someone who had just suffered what he had, before it all just softened. "I've been with FANG for a lot longer than most realize. I was kind of like an underground secret. I didn't know a lot of people, but I knew Ayame."

"His partner," Kagome added, seeing where his story was going.

"_She_ loved him," Inuyasha explained, "and Kouga didn't feel the same way. They were partners though and since nothing had been weird between them, she didn't request a transfer. Fraternization rules would probably make her look bad anyways, so she kept it to herself." He took a deep breath, turning his golden eyes so that they caught her chocolate gaze. "Then there was a particularly bad mission – I don't know the details – but afterwards Kouga found her in her office and…" The look in his eyes was murderous. "He kept reminding her that she wanted it anyways, but she didn't. Certainly not like that. He was stronger; he trained more than she did. She was terrified to tell anyone because of the consequences, how it would make her look."

Kagome could only stare at him for a moment, trying to process. "How it would make her _look_?" Of all the things to say, it wasn't what she had planned.

"Weak, unable to hold her own, to stop danger from coming. Accusing the man she loved of raping her." Inuyasha snorted, and Kagome was sure he'd be vibrating with anger if he wasn't so beaten. "I only found out because we were friends and I caught her crying and I smelled…" He trailed off.

"Why did no one else notice, or smell it?" Kagome asked. "You're not the only one with demon in their blood. Why didn't she ask for a transfer?"

"Not everyone cares to notice things," Inuyasha replied. "No one really noticed me until I started making scenes, and no one noticed I did anything _good_ until you came along." He shook his head, as if pushing the sentence further along would make it disappear. "I don't know why she didn't ask for a transfer. I tried to tell her but she ignored me and started to hide out. He might have threatened her, I don't know. All that happened was I was so _pissed off_, because no one superior was going to take care of it or take notice of it. No one with the power to stop what was happening did. So I nearly killed him."

The file that was locked up, Kagome figured. "Your statement held the accusations, right?"

He gave a curt nod. "But Ayame refused to comment, refused to be tested and Kouga claimed it wasn't true. It all got swept under the rug by whatever asshole senior agent was supposed to take care of it."

And it was here, in a small basement bound and broken and bloody, that Kagome realized where Inuyasha's authority issues stemmed from. Kagome closed her eyes and hated every part of that realization, knowing that she couldn't do anything to make it better. She couldn't even show her support, no more than say a few words, because even if they couldn't be heard they were being watched.

Showing just how much Kagome cared about Inuyasha would hurt them worse in the long run.

* * *

_November 21__st__, 2012_

* * *

Kagome should have known from the moment she saw those two demons again – the lightning ones – that it was going to be another bad day. Yesterday had consisted of more verbal attacks than physical, and when Inuyasha somehow jumped in front of Kagome to take the worse off the punch directed at her face, she could've _screamed_.

He was worse for wear, far more than she was, and Inuyasha was doing his damnedest to protect her. She didn't want it because they were in this together for the long run, yet for some unknown reason Inuyasha kept purposely taking the blows, directing the attention of her attackers whenever they were getting to angry with her. It always resulted, more often than not, with Inuyasha getting torn to pieces while she could do nothing more than watch.

And now, _and now_, with those damned demons coming in, she knew it would just be more beatings on the half-demon. Well fuck, she wouldn't let it. Not today, _not this time. _She knew the only reason they went easy on them yesterday was to make today a full load of pain.

Inuyasha was already laughing at the sight of the Thunder Brothers, something he called out to them just to see their pissed off reaction. He chuckled, even as the more human-looking one punched him twice in the face. When Naraku walked in, the man's face was covered in his smug grin, eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Having a good time, Agent Higurashi?" Naraku asked, not even waiting for an answer before he flicked his hand at the Thunder Brothers. "Deal with them. I want him bleeding internally by the end of this."

Kagome seethed, watching as Naraku stalked towards her to push her down to the ground like last time. With his hands grabbing her bound wrist, Kagome jumped into the air, letting the momentum swing them both down to the ground as she kneed him in the groin. Naraku's gasp was shocked, but grew louder as she forced her bound hands to his face. She couldn't get much of a holding, the one hand buried in his long hair but she felt an ear, and she'd take it. Pushing her powers forth, she grabbed Naraku's one ear and _clawed_. She buried her hands so deep, letting the purifying powers flow through. Naraku yelled, his own hands making their way to her throat. She didn't pay attention, fought harder, pushed _more_ as she tore at his ear, his neck, feeling his skin sizzle and burn under her hands. Kagome couldn't breathe, there was no air working its way into her lungs with Naraku's hands around her throat. She couldn't see, the black dots covering but she didn't need to see to fight, didn't need to breathe as long as she could burn the demon on top of her. There was blood, seeping down her arm but it was all going fuzzy, fading out.

Suddenly she could breathe. Her hands weren't holding anything and there were muffled shouts around her. Her name…was that her name being yelled? Kagome could only focus on the sound of her inhales, her chest expanding mercifully with air, her throat no longer constricted.

She couldn't even look around – couldn't even sense anything – before she was being dragged. Her face was sliding against the rough concrete, stopping only to be propped up against a hard surface. There was more screaming – _Kagome! Kagome!_ – but her head lolled unhelpfully along her shoulder, too heavy to lift. There was soon nothing holding her up, and she almost slumped to the ground if not for the painful tug on her wrists. Metal – she could feel the cold chains wrapped tightly around her wrists – and she only had a brief second to consider what it meant before a deeper, darker voice broke through the haze.

"Do it."

Pain, searing and deafening and blackening soared through her. She couldn't control the way her body jolted, restrained only by the metal cuffs that did nothing to cease the electrical current. Dimly she was aware that there was shrieking, a loud, broken noise that echoed inside of her head like a raging storm. It was _her_. _She _was screaming. But she couldn't stop it, unsure of what muscles to use, what bones to move.

Relief came only what felt like an eternity later. Her body still twitched, seizing. Kagome couldn't move, couldn't lift up her head or make noises other than the pitiful whimpers that were escaping. A sharp jab hefted her chin, made her head tilt upwards. Hot breath danced across her sweating skin but her eyes – she couldn't open them to see who it was.

"Why don't you just tell me? Spare yourself the pain?" It was Naraku. It could only be him.

Kagome tried to speak but her tongue was heavy like lead. Naraku heard the sound though, a sharp command filling her head. The field agent tried again, working her mouth and muscles to form the noises that she wanted.

"F-F-F_ANG_ agents don't nego…" She fumbled, shaking her head out of the grasp, trying to open her eyes. "Nego-ti-ti-_ate._"

There. She said it.

"Kagome!" That was Inuyasha, but his shouts were soon muffled, a loud growl ripping through the room. Her eyelids slowly started to function, brown orbs seeing the grey cement of the ground.

Naraku grabbed her chin again, and his dark eyes held depths far too cruel. "Are you sure that's your final answer?"

She looked around him, saw the flash of silver hair as Inuyasha was pressed against another wall, gagged and struggling against another demon. At least this time, it wasn't him who was being electrocuted. At the very minimum, she could give him this.

"FANG agents do not negotiate. We aim for the greater good of humanity, the greater good of the world. FANG agents–"

And then the screaming started.

Not soon enough, the world faded away.

* * *

_November 22__nd__, 2012_

* * *

The first thing she noticed as consciousness slowly stirred within was that her head was tipped back, propped up against something. Blinking open her eyes, her body jerked involuntarily, making the bump underneath her neck move.

"Kagome?"

Slowly moving her head, the black-haired field agent looked to see that she was resting on top of Inuyasha's non-broken arm. It took her a long moment, but once she took her first harsh swallow she realized why. He saved her, kept her airway open so that she didn't die. How he had managed to get her into the position with bound arms was something she couldn't really consider.

"Kagome, talk to me," Inuyasha whispered. His wide-eyed stare caught hers, looking far more terrified than she had ever seen. This was a half-demon who ran into danger laughing, generally pissing off the bad guys by calling them crude, degenerate names _for the fun of it_. And he was…scared. _For her_.

"Hi," she muttered, trying to swallow again. She tasted blood and with a quick search with her tongue realized that her lower lip was mangled, torn and bloody. It probably happened while she had been electrocuted. It was why he propped open her airway, so she didn't choke on her own blood. "Thank you," Kagome whispered, unable to help the sensation that was filling her. It was such a strange, horrid mixture of warmth and hope, tinged with fear of death and rejection. What if FANG never came? What if they weren't worth the search, even with the co-ordinates Kagome had?

"Jesus fucking Christ," Inuyasha said, just as quietly as she had. "You–" He cut himself off, looking away briefly. "We're just lucky I don't actually know anything, because if I had, I would've told them yesterday."

The realization hit her like a punch to the gut. Kagome slowly rolled herself off of Inuyasha's arm, lying on her side so that she could still look at him. "I can't do this," she whispered, taking a deep breath. "I'm not this person that can lock myself away and pretend like this doesn't affect me." Kagome swallowed, reigning in the fear even as she spoke. "I can't stand watching what they do to you. It _hurts_ me, in a way far worse than anything physical that they try to inflict on me."

Inuyasha shook his head, eyes narrowing. "What do you mean it's worse?"

A part of her wanted to hide away, because surely they were coming back. Soon one of the demons upstairs would realize they were awake, or decide that now was as good of a time to torture them as any. But then again, how much more could she take before her body just gave in? How much time did Inuyasha have? Speaking now was more or less her chance at the famous last words. "I mean, when I had to watch you be electrocuted on top of me, I wanted to _die_. I couldn't stand it happening to you. I couldn't watch, and it so nearly broke me… There were so many times I was going to just say something, _anything_ to get them to stop. I'd give some sort of location and _pray_. But the moment I did, they'd kill us both anyways. And even if they waited, they'd kill us when they realized I lied. I was…terrified for you."

The half-demon shook his head slowly, as if what he was hearing was _wrong_ somehow. "You were going to give it all up for _me_?" The look of incredulity was priceless, had this been a different time, a different place, a different situation. Inuyasha stared at her like she was insane, like she had just said something that broke the rules of how the earth spun around.

Like he was shocked that he was _worth_ that much.

"You can't seriously think I don't care," Kagome whispered, keeping her voice firm. "Don't you _dare_ tell me you think I'd rather let you die."

"But it's your _job_–"

"My job is to look after you," Kagome interrupted. "And yeah, maybe in the long run it's to preserve humanity and fight for the greater good. But I can't fight for the greater good if I don't fight for–" Shaking her head, Kagome almost laughed. "I can't believe you thought that, after everything that's happened."

Inuyasha frowned. "Nothing happened."

Sighing, Kagome could only raise a brow. "_You_ happened." She wasn't looking at him then, so she couldn't read the expression on this face. Instead she rolled onto her back, feeling the pain in her newly bound wrists as she stared at the ceiling. "I joined FANG six years ago," Kagome started, realizing that if Inuyasha wanted to know what happened with her and Miroku, now was pretty much the only chance. "The first two years I trained, fought hard, went on missions as part of a team. I worked my way up quickly as someone with purification powers. Because of it, Director Kyouda placed me as a field agent – not a senior, but a leader of my own team – by midway of my third year. Miroku and Sango were my team. We were close friends and I could tell the minute Miroku was in love with her. It was painfully obvious. There were rules but I figured everyone should have a chance to be happy, right?"

The half-demon shifted closer, listening intently.

"It was supposed to be a simple recon mission, but suddenly Arachnid let out this dragon demon, killing almost everyone. We weren't prepared for such an attack, so while we called in the cavalry it was already too late. I had lost my earpiece but Miroku found me. Sango had been hurt and she was trapped somewhere. I tried to get a visual but two Arachnid demons snuck up on us and captured Miroku and I. Sango had been hidden so they didn't find her, and the rest of FANG got there before anymore of us got taken. For five days, we were tortured. The demon knew who I was, saw how I reacted when Miroku was attacked and they used my feelings as leverage. They _destroyed _him in front of me, leaving me more or less alone while Miroku got beaten and kicked and whipped and– It– I broke when they cursed him with the wind tunnel. I was planning on dying, and they were going to kill us. It was already set in motion but FANG got there just before.

"Miroku spent over two months in Medical and all I needed was a week. I was debriefed and brought to psychiatrist after psychiatrist but… They didn't get it. They didn't see just how wrong it went so fast. If I had been _better_ for him, I could've taken at least half of the damage and maybe he wouldn't be cursed. Maybe they wouldn't have gotten so desperate to curse him at all, because they still had a chance to break me." Kagome took a deep breath, pushing the tears back. It wouldn't do any good to cry. "Every time I see them both, I just think about how Miroku almost died _for me_ and how Sango almost lost him _because _of me."

Warmth settled on her shoulder and Kagome tilted her head to see that Inuyasha was pressing his forehead to the bloodied stain from where he had bitten her. He didn't say anything, just rested against her like that, silent and supportive in a way that Kagome never really had.

"Is that why you attacked Naraku yesterday?" Inuyasha asked suddenly, breaking the quiet. "You were trying to take the other half of the pain."

She didn't answer because the half-demon already knew it.

"You're an idiot," Inuyasha whispered, tilting his chin up so that he mouthed the words against the field suit, against her skin.

* * *

_November 23__rd__, 2012_

* * *

Another day and Kagome was pretty sure she would die any moment from now. Inuyasha was battling in the corner, his leg bounds untied because Naraku thought it would be _fun_. Her face was swollen, already numb from several punches. She could feel her eye swelling up.

Naraku was just standing by the door, watching with cruel amusement in his eyes. This had become his form of sickening entertainment, since he wasn't getting answers but he never really had them in the first place. Kagome couldn't give him what he needed, and whether the Arachnid leader believed her or not was another matter entirely. Naraku had said he was going to draw out the torture regardless.

Kagura stood in front of her, seething and panting as she shook out her hand. The demon who once looked beautiful was now horribly mangled, her face burned and scarred where Kagome had purified her. It wasn't enough, Kagome realized bitterly, and if she had the chance she would do it to the rest of the flesh that had remained untouched. The kick to her ribs forced her to cry out, too far gone now to hold back the pain. They'd already been at this for an hour, slow and steady physical hits that broke them down bit by bit. Kagome heard Inuyasha's grunts of pain and knew that he wasn't doing much better, although probably slightly considering he had his legs for movement.

_Maybe this is it_, Kagome thought. It wasn't any special day, nothing to celebrate. The Thunder Brothers weren't down to play their fun game of electrocution. But it was as good of a day as any and Kagome relished in the thought before taking another punch to the face.

"Stop!"

The words echoed within the room, through the speaker system that was hidden at the darkest of corners. Naraku's voice was the source but as Kagome struggled to see past Kagura, she couldn't get her bearings on the Arachnid leader. Suddenly, the basement door banged open and Kagura was screaming in pain. Kagome wasn't even looking up before the screams turned into a gurgle, blood pouring from her mouth like it had nowhere else to go.

"Took you fucking long enough," Inuyasha grunted. Kagome tried to stand up but couldn't with her bound ankles. She settled for rolling, getting away from the pool of blood that Kagura was creating on the ground by her shoulder. Kagome tried to see, but her brown eyes were drawn to Inuyasha ripping free of the ropes on his wrists, the Tetsusaiga in his hands.

Another flash of silver ran around the room, and Kagome took the first breath that didn't feel like her potential last. _Sesshomaru_.

FANG had finally come.

There were more demons coming from the stairs, and somehow Sesshomaru had bypassed them in the first place. He was obviously there before the rest of the team and Kagome tried not to be completely useless as she rolled on the ground, watching four – no five – demons enter the basement. Inuyasha yelled, Tetsusaiga magically powerful as the half-demon sliced through the violet-haired demon he'd been previously fighting with. Sesshomaru was taking on another three, moving around gracefully and gutting those that got too close.

Kagome opened her mouth to shout out a warning as another demon leapt towards the ceiling with the purpose of landing on Sesshomaru, whose hands were buried deep into the body of another demon. Suddenly Inuyasha was there though, his sword running through the demon as it landed on the blade. One demon left, and Sesshomaru easily took it out with barely more than a flick of his wrist.

Inuyasha looked at Sesshomaru then, the Tetsusaiga perched on his shoulder. His full-demon half-brother merely looked back, gaze unblinking. Inuyasha gestured with his head towards the fallen demon that almost got the jump on Sesshomaru, and Sesshomaru merely gave a single nod in return, running back up the stairs.

Kagome blinked, processing the moment. She stared at Inuyasha incredulously as the half-demon walked over to her, gently using his claws to rip apart the ropes binding her. "Let me get this straight," she started, her voice hoarse from all of the yelling. "Sesshomaru and you fight. He kills you and then brings you back to life. You and Sesshomaru are in a fight, and you save his life so that you can fight again so that he can kill you and then bring you back to…life. So you two can start the process all over again."

Inuyasha shrugged. "I don't know. I guess whatever regular half-siblings do." The ropes gone from her body, Inuyasha carefully inspected her cuts with his non-broken arm. He didn't open his mouth again to comment further, didn't even lift his eyes from the raw, tenderly broken skin. There was something in his gaze, something that caught Kagome's attention and made her stomach wrap itself up in knots.

They had survived this. She was bleeding, with her lower lip destroyed and body aching. Inuyasha had a broken arm and more cuts and bruises than she could even count.

But they were alive.

The half-demon didn't _have_ to say anything, not when he looked up at her with an expression that could block out the rest of the world. Not when his thumb lightly soothed over the back of her hand, his shoulders slumping at some sort of realization.

Kagome was so caught up that when the rest of FANG came running down the stairs, she barely noticed. It wasn't until Inuyasha was standing up, turning his back to her that it finally settled in.

She had always known Inuyasha had been different. It had been this game at first, turned into something far more angry and heated. And now none of the actions behind it seemed important. The anger melted away and left behind a path of reasons – why the anger was there, why the words hurt so much.

Kagome cared about him. She was his handler, so that was an obvious and necessary observation. It was pivotal to their survival in a war where no one planned on backing down without a fight. She was supposed to care just enough to keep him alive, but not so much to purposely keep him out of harm's way. He had a job to do and it was her duty to see to it that it would get done.

But right now, as Inuyasha stubbornly refused a staff of Medical to take a look at his arm, Kagome realized with a sick jolt _worse_ than the electrocution that she _wanted_ him out of harm's way. She didn't want to be the one that had to make the call of whether he ran into a burning building to save lives or didn't. She wanted to be selfish.

This was exactly why the fraternization rule existed.

It was also exactly why Kagome knew somewhere down the line, one of them wouldn't be able to stop from breaking it.

* * *

**Comments to Acknowledge**

_MidniteOni: _Hm. Wonder what you thought about this chapter then haha.

_BartonA: _I'm so glad you think so! Hope you enjoyed this too!

_Savnn: _See, I got it in my head that this story is 8 chapters long. It's not. It's seven. YEAH, that means the next one is the last one. Huh. LOVE YOU.

_LadySparrow: _It's totally love. I'm a SUCKER for it. But, this chapter I think will bring out another side, or just the side we've all been waiting for, I don't know. This chapter was pretty much what made me write the whole story. There was just this aspect to the intimacy shared in such horrid conditions, and the trust and the pain that blew my mind. So I hope it worked out okay, and I hope you liked it darling.

_(): _Well I hope you liked it ;) Thank you!

_Vexienne: _It ends on the next chapter. Yeah. About that...

_Say0miSaki: _Well I hope this answered a lot of questions! Thank you for always being so awesome dear :)

_Chihiroinlove101: _No, thank you :D

_Whoobonhooaglo: _Ha you're the best. Seriously, you made my day. Super happy that you like this story, it was a pretty big project in my head and took everything over. Next chapter is the last one, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

* * *

**Right. Yeah. This story isn't 8 chapters - somehow I thought it was. Next chapter is the last one.**_  
_

***hides***

**Feedback is super appreciated. Your support for this story so far has BLOWN MY MIND. I don't know when I got so lucky. And s****orry for all of the author note spam!**


	7. Chapter Seven

**Author's Note #1: **My website is here! See my profile of details. If you've message me, I will send a message also informing you, as promised!

**Author's Note #2:** As I do with all completed stories, my uber ridiculous thank you note is at the bottom. Read if you so desire.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha. I do not profit from this story.

**Chapter Warnings: **AU, swearing, violence, symptoms of PTSD, night terrors, insinuation of rape, sexytimes.

* * *

**What You're Falling On**

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

_July 25__th__, 2009_

_Recovery_

* * *

They were saved. It had been down to the wire, down to the final seconds, but suddenly Sesshomaru was there, gutting Gatenmaru and the other demon within seconds. More from Arachnid came, but Sesshomaru took care of them all while other FANG agents swarmed them and carried them out of the warehouse. Only one agent died – one good, honourable agent – while saving Kagome's life during the transport of her collapsing body.

Put on the good drugs right away, Kagome only got to see the briefest moment of Sango rushing to Miroku's side before everything went back.

The thing was, when Kagome woke up she wasn't any different. She was the same woman in the warehouse being tortured, watching her friend get tortured. It was all her fault. She had lost objectivity in the field. She shouldn't have let her emotions get the better of her. She shouldn't have let Miroku undergo so much torture without any sort of promise for something better.

Director Kaede Kyouda had debriefed her, asking for statements and getting the full story. Kagome was still mostly numb on drugs but the questions made sense and apparently her answers did too. She would be debriefed again, she knew, when she was out of Medical and not as high as a kite. It was merely preliminary information, something to go off of. At the end of the day, Kagome wasn't sure it was something particularly useful, but she tried her best.

While lying on the hospital bed, waiting for the drugs to drag her back down into black oblivion, Kagome thought about Miroku and Sango. She thought about how she destroyed everything and how she couldn't let it happen again. Not to them, not to someone else she was supposed to take care of. A transfer was necessary and she would demand one the moment she got out of Medical. Kagome wouldn't put any more lives at risk because she couldn't do her job.

She didn't plan for it, but the days and weeks afterwards would be the most painful of her life. She would separate herself from Miroku and Sango, refusing to see them or talk to them. She couldn't bear to look them in the eye after what happened. The first time Sango would try to go in and thank her, Kagome would feel a band around her chest, tightening so much that the nurses had to come in and stabilize her breathing, put her on oxygen.

She would get transferred to the Crisis Centre, where all she did was handle the clean-up afterwards, know the names of the demon heroes and their agents only for the sake of who to point fingers at.

She would give up training, only to sneak into the centre every morning at three a.m. to train with her bow. It would clear her mind, make her temporarily forget why she was still on the planet.

Kagome wouldn't forgive herself for a long, long time.

* * *

_Present Day_

_November 24__th__, 2012_

* * *

Waking up was a foggy whirl of sensation. Kagome could tell, even if not consciously, that her mind was not at peak running condition. It certainly felt like it was but everything was far too soft and the ceiling had faces. Blinking, Kagome tried to pinpoint the reason she woke up, where she was in the first place. The first glance to her left showed a heart monitor and other medical equipment, making her stomach turn quickly. She was in Medical, although not a place she was familiar with. The walls were a charcoal grey rather than pristine white, and the equipment looked to be a bit older than what they had at HQ.

_Rescued_. The thought entered her mind as her brain tried to replay images of her past. Kagome remembered the torture, being hidden in a basement with Naraku and his damn Arachnid lackeys having fun trying to get information out of her that she simply didn't have. Inuyasha had paid the price, and while Kagome wanted to think she'd done better, she wasn't quite sure.

Struggling, Kagome realized that sitting up wasn't an option. The bed was already slightly elevated at her head, so she twisted her neck to see around the room, noticing another bed to her far left. There was a curtain around it but the lighting in the room provided a shadow for her to guess there was someone else with her.

"Agent Higurashi, you're awake."

Snapping her head forwards, Kagome noticed three agents walking through the doorway. She narrowed her eyes, partly wondering how she hadn't heard them before now and why there were so many of them. They were FANG agents though, with Bankotsu Takeshi leading the pack. For that, she was somewhat grateful. "Age–" Her throat was far too dry and raspy, and it took Bankotsu a moment to cringe before he dutifully ordered some agent behind him to get water.

"Just try to relax," Bankotsu said to her, giving a tiny smile in her direction. "Nod or shake your head for now, until we can get you some liquid. Are you feeling okay?"

Kagome nodded her head. She probably _wasn't_ okay, but whatever drugs they had her on must've been really helping.

"Good, good," the senior agent replied. "I'm going to have to talk to you about what happened, preferably now before the doctor gives me shit. Is that alright?"

Again, she nodded. What else was there to do? Mind you, Kagome realized she couldn't promise how accurate she'd be with whatever was running through her system.

"FANG was attacked November 16th, exactly eight days ago. We have no clue as to how Arachnid was able to find us. From personal records I was, however, able to determine _why_ they came." Bankotsu stopped when the other agent returned, handing over a large glass of water with a straw.

Greedily Kagome grabbed for it, letting the soothing, cool liquid slide down her throat. Her eyes closed in what was potentially a blissful expression, and she possibly made a less than appropriate noise. Kagome didn't particularly care and when she opened her eyes, only the two agents behind Bankotsu seemed a little awkward. "I know why," she said quickly, before the senior agent could continue his story. "The well that Inuyasha and I found at the abandoned warehouse had tracking chips inside a bunch of the stuff. When R&D finally gave up and started to bring pieces of the well back to our facilities, they were able to get an exact location." Kagome paused, watching as Bankotsu's blue eyes flickered. "The well was a trap for what he actually needed."

"The Shikon no Tama," the senior agent said, nodding. "Director Kyouda had sent me a file for the time when this should happen. It said very little, other than that the Shikon no Tama was extremely powerful and potentially the game changer in this war if given to the wrong hands. It is powerful magic and the director had an idea that it was the main objective for Arachnid."

"They need it for their actual portal," Kagome agreed, voice giving off a slight rasp. She quickly took another sip of the water before continuing. "The well we located was a near-duplicate of what they had in their possession. Apparently it can't work unless the power of the jewel is used with it."

"Only the jewel and its possessor can travel back," Bankotsu amended. He looked at his hands for a moment, contemplating. "I think Director Kyouda was putting this together without telling us. Once she put the finding of the well together with whatever information she'd gathered on the jewel, I believe she figured out Arachnid's true plan. They want to go back to the Feudal Era to vanquish humans for good, changing modern day."

There was a short silence and Kagome felt her hand land on Bankotsu's shoulder. It was probably unprofessional, but she couldn't really give a damn. "She's actually gone?"

The senior agent nodded. "She never made it to the evac tunnels. Did Arachnid tell you?"

"Naraku told me," Kagome answered. Hesitating, the next question was on the tip of her tongue, desperate to get out. It would do her no good to wait and hope, so taking a deep breath she let it all spill out. "Did you catch him when FANG raided their compound?"

Bankotsu didn't even have to answer. The way his blue eyes flicked from her face and away was proof enough. Naraku was still in the wind. "It wasn't even a base for Arachnid. They were keeping you somewhere completely isolated. If it wasn't for your tracking chip, we'd have never found you in the first place. Shit was pretty bad for a while; it was why we took so long. Associated FANG networks were…less than adequate responding to the distress signal." Bankotsu's fists clenched a bit, showing what his face wouldn't. There were other FANG operational bases, although HQ was where the majority of work occurred. "We're at an undisclosed location for now, with nearly everything we need to fight right back."

"What were the losses?" Kagome asked quietly.

"Less than twelve percent," the senior agent responded. Still, the deaths of those employees seemed to weigh on him. "We need to find Naraku and end this. I'm going to have another agent come in to fully debrief you next week, when you're a bit better." His lips quirked slightly, probably noting how she wasn't acting like an agent of FANG would without drugs in their system. "My biggest question is where your tracking chip is. It went offline two days before we found you, and we need it."

Kagome frowned, looking at the other two agents who merely stared blankly back at her. "What for?" It hadn't even been until that moment she realized she was in a hospital gown, her field suit gone and along with it, the tracking chip.

"Director Kyouda gave me directions in the same file she sent to me that _you_ had the answers regarding the Shikon no Tama. She gave you an information file and it's on the tracking chip. I need to get it so that I can have R&D examine it."

It occurred to her only then that Kaede had known of her fate for a long time. Having all of the points set up like this, with her and Bankotsu in the middle of it was almost astounding. "She gave it to me?"

Bankotsu shrugged. "I remember once she told me that you reminded her of her older sister. It's why we brought you to FANG in the first place."

The news hit her like a punch in the gut and suddenly, Kagome very much wanted to fall back asleep. "The chip… It should be with wherever my field suit is. I had it stuffed in my bra."

Nodding, the senior agent waved at the other two to leave the room, presumably for the information. Bankotsu stood up too, rolling his shoulders and trying for a smile. It didn't suit him but Kagome couldn't really care less about it. "Get some rest. I'll have a doctor come in to see you now."

"What–" Kagome stopped, breathed and then tried again. "What about Inuyasha? Where is he? Is he okay?"

Bankotsu raised a brow, blue eyes darting over to where the curtained bed was. "I'm not entirely sure of his situation, but I've been told there was a crazy half-demon who had been demanding to know where you were and why you weren't awake yet. There was also the questioning of FANG's competence in the medical field, a few assaults on doctors that mentioned you may not wake up right away, and a lot of verbal abuse towards anyone who didn't bend to his will."

Kagome blinked. That sounded like someone she knew quite well.

"Apparently, he was also heavily sedated against his will." Bankotsu shook his head, smile disappearing as he examined the curtain again. "He'll wake up probably in the next few hours, most likely."

She didn't know what to say, so she merely followed his gaze to the shadowy lump. Inuyasha had to be heavily sedated _for her_.

Not wanting to contemplate too much right then and there, Kagome leaned back on the bed and closed her eyes. The soft sound of footsteps as the senior agent left the medical room was the last thing she heard.

* * *

_November 26__th__, 2012_

* * *

"You need to _stop talking_," Kagome ordered, trying not to kill the half-demon beside her. There was a perfectly good soap opera on the television right now. The TV had only been brought in because of her two week bed rest order and the fact that Inuyasha threatened with homicide if he wasn't entertained. Soap operas apparently didn't catch his attention enough.

"I just don't understand," Inuyasha grumbled, tapping away on his cast. He had been ordered for only one week of bed rest, mostly to ensure the proper healing of his arm. Both of them had been severely dehydrated and malnourished, so it took time to build their systems back up to functional levels after a week of mistreatment. "How is she alive? I thought she died in a car crash."

"It's her twin sister," Kagome replied, grinning dopily at the half-demon. Her cracked ribs, intense swelling and bruising were all starting to heal but the doctors hadn't been able to keep her relaxed enough. Her tense state whenever the drugs had mostly flushed from her system was doing far more damage than good. She hadn't been eating, unable to get anything remotely solid down before anxiety made her throw it all up. The shrinks provided by FANG had been blunt and relatively short with their assessment, giving the doctors enough information to leave her mostly sedated until she was back to nourished levels.

Inuyasha's face crumpled up and he shot her an incredulous look. "Not everyone has a twin. They can't use the same storyline twice in a week," he pointed out. "Besides, we don't know for sure. Maybe she's a demon."

Snorting, Kagome relaxed back into her pillow. "Just wait until the proposal we'll see at the end, and then the angry face we'll see in the window following the hesitant 'yes, of course I'll marry you, darling'."

"Ten bucks."

"Deal."

* * *

_November 27__th__, 2012_

* * *

Kagome grinned. "I told you he had an illegitimate son."

Inuyasha merely narrowed his gaze at the field agent, despising the TV that sat happily in the corner of their room. Kagome knew he was bored out of his mind – the silver-haired man was one of action and reaction, getting something out of what he put in. She watched as his golden eyes zeroed in on the TV at a particular commercial and Kagome wondered how long it would take before he broke the damn thing. She grinned to herself at the thought, because Inuyasha wielding a cast was probably just as dangerous as him wielding the Tetsusaiga.

"He's coming," Inuyasha said suddenly, breaking through Kagome's amused, foggy thoughts. She wasn't exactly sure who 'he' was, but the moment Senior Agent Bankotsu Takeshi stepped through the door, she straightened on the bed and turned off the television.

"Hey! I can't seriously win if you're turning it off, that's an unfair advantage!" Inuyasha exclaimed, glaring unnecessarily. It wasn't like she'd ever seen the soap opera before either. Behaviours were just far too predictable.

Bankotsu eyed Inuyasha for a moment before then turning to Kagome, a questioning look in his gaze. She ignored it, gesturing towards the chair by her bed. "What's going on?"

"You make it sound like any of this is going to involve you," Inuyasha muttered under his breath.

This time, Kagome couldn't stop the pointed glare she shot him. It was worse too, because she was unable to fight down the small smile that softened the stare, making it look far too fond. "Shut up, please," she said, and maybe her voice sounded weird too because Inuyasha was giving her a tiny smirk like she'd just made his day.

"Are you still being sedated?" Bankotsu asked suddenly, breaking the spell and forcing Kagome to stare back at the senior agent.

"I haven't been able to sleep, sir, so yes. I told them I'm fine but–" Kagome cut off her rambling, realizing it was fruitless and mostly not helping her case. "What can I do for you?"

Bankotsu sat down in the chair, rubbing his hands together like he was preparing for something. "Do you know why your tracking chip went offline on November 21st?"

Narrowing her gaze, Kagome tried to focus on the question. She wasn't entirely sure what significance the 21st had, mainly because when they were down in the basement being held captive it all sort of blurred. The tracking chip had been on her person though so it could've been easily damaged when taking physical blows if they hit it right on. There was also the possibility of–

"She was electrocuted," Inuyasha cut in sharply. The tone of his voice suggested that further discussion on the subject was not appreciated and he would certainly end it if necessary.

"That would explain the damage," Bankotsu stated, nodding. "R&D is working right now to try and fix it, possibly salvage whatever was on it. There was supposed to be pertinent information on the Shikon no Tama – information that could change this entire war. Hopefully it's not lost."

Inuyasha growled then and Kagome frowned at the half-demon, trying to work through the drugged haze of her mind. Why was he so upset? "It wasn't her fucking fault, you know. I'd be _dead_ otherwise. Not that I told her, since I was fucking ready for the torture of the day, but you can cut the crap and leave if you don't have anything more important to say."

The senior agent raised a brow at Inuyasha, something in his expression that Kagome couldn't piece together. It frustrated her.

"I'll be leaving then. Thank you for the insight Agent Higurashi." A pause, and then Bankotsu full-out smiled. "Inuyasha."

If there was another growl rumbling from Inuyasha's throat, Kagome didn't comment on it. Maybe the silver-haired half-demon was complaining about all of the money he was losing betting on television shows.

Kagome was pretty tired, now that she thought about it. At the very least, the drugs were good for that.

* * *

_November 29__th__, 2012_

* * *

By the time Inuyasha was being told by doctors he'd be released the following day without a cast, the half-demon owed Kagome more than fifty dollars due to soap opera bets.

He determined that human television was stupid, much to Kagome's amusement.

* * *

_December 2__nd__, 2012_

* * *

It wasn't until Kagome started getting better that she realized she was actually getting worse. The doctors had been weaning her off of the sedation drugs by now, which was fine with her. She preferred it, to be honest. Eating was no longer difficult and she managed to keep everything down. The knot that sometimes made an appearance was easier to handle, more often that not. Kagome figured that as long as she smiled during the right times and did as she was told, she could be assigned a new room at this new FANG facility and then work it out by herself.

Everything was fine too, for the most part. She was steadily getting back to normal with solid progression. Everything was healing nicely and the bruises were still ugly, but definitely fading.

The dreams only seemed to get worse though.

They would be back in the basement, always the basement, and Inuyasha was surrounded by a pool of his own blood. His golden eyes stared at her accusingly, because _she did this_. She didn't protect her own, she didn't do her job. She let the enemy know, once again, how important her co-worker was to her. It didn't matter that Kagome couldn't give Naraku the information, even if she wanted to. Inuyasha was already dead, face a pale grey colour since all of the blood was leaking on the floor, slowly – _painfully so_ – moving towards her. They were like little fingers, tiny tendrils of the half-demon creeping closer, wanting to swallow her up. It would put his blood on her hands, literally.

Poetic justice, Kagome thought.

And then Naraku would come, and the Thunder Brothers would come and Kagura would come, and the pain would never end. Inuyasha was still dead, _and why wasn't she_? Why was she still living and breathing while the man she–

"Agent Higurashi! You need to calm down!"

Screaming. There was tons of screaming, everywhere, echoing off the walls and making it louder, louder, _louder_.

"Calm down! Nurse, what's your ETA? I need it!"

The screaming was _her_. It was a foreign thought, touching the back of her mind where she didn't have any control. An intake of breath, her lungs burning with it, making her dizzy. Hands were pressing down on her, and why was she sitting upwards? But then Kagome could see it, could understand why. She wasn't sitting, she was chained to the wall back at in that damning basement. Naraku was smiling at her cruelly, the Thunder Brothers on either side touching the metal. Soon enough the pain would come. Soon enough, she too would die.

"Heart rate is escalating."

Kagome felt sick. Her vision was blurring on the edges but she couldn't see much of anything anyways. Now though was only darkness. It settled in like a fog, cool and barely noticeable, surrounding her. Maybe this was it. Maybe this was dying.

"Put the restraints on and treat her cuts. We can't have her ripping off her own skin like this every time she has a night terror."

Only blackness. Only oblivion.

Kagome figured that maybe, this wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

_December 3__rd__, 2012_

* * *

"This isn't the first time you've been taken hostage."

Kagome grit her teeth. "No, it hasn't." She refused to give anymore detail than that, mostly because she'd already gone over this song and dance.

The psychologist staring at her was named Nazuna Orikasa. She seemed nice enough, with tied-back black hair and dark, searching eyes. She wore the same lab coat that the scientists had, although it held the insignia of FANG's Medical care team. The woman smiled timidly, although Kagome wouldn't put it past her to get more aggressive as their appointment went on. "I have records of your meeting with our psychologist team back in 2009. I've read the reports and I have to say that you…you went through a lot."

Kagome didn't open her mouth, didn't speak. It seemed rather pointless if the shrink knew everything.

"What was different?"

Hesitating for only a moment, Kagome couldn't help but ask. "Excuse me?"

Nazuna shrugged. "You've been held hostage twice, something that happens only to the most experienced, senior agents. You've survived something most haven't dared to think of, so what was different between the two times?"

"I–" Kagome paused, trying to get a grasp on the question. It seemed _wrong_ almost. "I guess, I was with Agent Tsujitani for one and Inuyasha for the other. It wasn't…different. It was still Arachnid, it was still _torture_."

Nazuna nodded her head. She wasn't writing anything down, but Kagome was sure the conversation was somehow being recorded. "You've been having night terrors."

"Neither one of us are all the surprised," Kagome muttered, looking past the woman at the wall. "I was tortured after all. It's hard to let that go."

"What happens in your dreams, will you tell me?" Nazuna looked at Kagome earnestly, her big dark eyes begging for insight.

And she didn't want to tell her. Kagome wanted to keep her mouth pointedly shut, to explain how stupid this was. The psychologists had never done anything to fix things with her after the incident in 2009, and it certainly hadn't helped her relationship with Miroku and Sango then. Nothing would change now.

It seemed that Nazuna figured it out, because she let out a long exhale and opened a report.

They moved on.

* * *

_December 4__th__, 2012_

* * *

Blood. There was so much blood.

Gatenmaru stood over her, grinning manically. She was pinned somehow, but not by him. It was like she was bound, or maybe paralysed to the floor. The demon above her licked his lips. "Kagome of FANG, how would you feel if I gave you the option to end it all now?"

His voice was thick and heavy, almost a slur. He looked painfully pleased with himself, red eyes skittering to some place to her left. Kagome didn't want to look, she _didn't_, but she couldn't stop herself. There was Miroku, dead on the floor. He was propped up, sitting and bleeding out. His throat was slashed, the sickening view of bone out there on display with his head so horribly tilted to the side. It was almost _off_.

Kagome sobbed, unable to help the anguish that left her. This couldn't be happening. No. No.

They had gotten out. FANG had saved them. FANG had saved them.

"Do you want to know what I can do for you?" Gatenmaru whispered. It was seductive, his voice low and breathy in her ear. "I can save him."

Suddenly her head was jerked to the right and there was Inuyasha, hanging from the ceiling. There was blood dripping down his body. Shirtless, she saw every knife wound, every slash to his gut. He was almost dead – she could see it in the glaze of his eyes, the slump of his body. Could she save him, even now? If she did what Gatenmaru asked, would it help?

"Just tell me and I can make this all go away with one simple condition," the demon above her purred. She felt the tug of teeth on her ear, his voice far too close for comfort. "Tell me Kagome."

"Save him."

It wasn't what she was supposed to say. _FANG agents do not negotiate_. But Miroku was dead and Inuyasha… Inuyasha had a chance. Did he? Was it worth it or were they all dead anyways?

Gatenmaru smiled wickedly, leaning back up and tilting her chin so that she could see his piercing gaze. "Say it again."

She whimpered, terrified, hurt. His grip on her was painful. "Save him, _please_."

"Oh Kagome," Gatenmaru whispered, bending down to kiss her jaw, moving lower. "I'm going to fuck your disobedience out of you, make you scream and bleed. You will do as I say, do you understand me?" He didn't wait for an answer, already biting down on her breast, breaking skin and ripping a scream of pain from her. She could feel the blood bubbling to the surface, feel the sting as Gatenmaru sliced her suit down the front, claws digging into her skin on the way down. "FANG agents don't negotiate, but you're going to do so well for me, aren't you?"

Kagome couldn't tell what was happening, not anymore. It was just pain and blackness and she couldn't _see_, what happened to her vision? It was terrifying and her body writhed, excruciating jolts filling her like electricity. This was wrong; _they had been saved_.

"No, no," she whimpered, wanting this to end, the spasm of her muscles making everything too tight, about to snap, _break_–

"_Kagome!_"

Snapping her eyes open, Kagome flew in the bed, her arms waving in the air. She was falling, tumbling but strong arms were around her, unrelenting.

Gatenmaru had her, oh god he had her and this _wasn't _a dream. Kagome screamed.

"Kagome, shh, it's Inuyasha. It's Inuyasha, Kagome. You're safe. It's me, it's Inuyasha."

The words finally penetrated her skull, processing until she stopped her struggle. She let her body fill with hope – _it was a dream, just a dream, oh god a dream _– and when she turned her head, familiar silver hair greeted her, paired with beautiful golden eyes.

"Kagome," Inuyasha whispered, his clawed hand brushing her hair back, a maternal touch almost. "Hey, are you with me?"

She couldn't open her mouth, not without saying something incredibly stupid. She was shaking, being held by the half-demon with his arms supporting her so she didn't fall. This was possibly…one of the weakest states Kagome had ever been in.

"Breathe," Inuyasha whispered, shifting so that they were back on her bed. It was only then that Kagome realized he was on there too, splitting the tiny mattress with her. She let herself be positioned, her head finally pillowed on his shoulder.

It felt…intimate.

"Wh–" Her voice scratched slightly, raw from the screaming. Taking a moment to wet her lips, she tried again. "What are you doing here? You were let out five days ago."

"I was told you've been doing less than stellar in here," Inuyasha answered simply, his deep rumbling voice making her head swim. It pressed into her with every word, her own body against his side. "Night terrors."

Kagome held back a sigh. There was nothing to really say to that.

"And I know you," Inuyasha continued suddenly. "If I can take a guess, this is what happened after you were found the first time, wasn't it? And you didn't listen to the shrink then, so chances are you wouldn't now…" The half-demon shrugged, jostling her. "I didn't want you to do something stupid."

"Like what?" Kagome asked, her words sharp.

"Like stop talking to me," Inuyasha replied. Kagome felt his breath puff against her hair and she tilted her head up to see that the silver-haired half-demon was looking at her. "You're an idiot sometimes."

Kagome couldn't help but think that he almost sounded _fond_.

For an indefinite period afterwards, neither of them spoke. Kagome was letting each part of her body relax, slowly but surely coming back to herself. There was no one else there to bother them, the occasional noise leaking through the closed door. It was almost a vacation, a break away from the reality of what they were facing out there. In her tiny, absurdly grey-tinted hospital room, it was just her and Inuyasha.

"Do you remember that fight we had?" Inuyasha asked in a whisper, as if speaking louder would shatter their little bubble of peace.

Kagome narrowed her eyes at him. "Which one? There've been a lot, in case you don't remember."

Chuckling darkly, Inuyasha was almost hesitant to respond. "The one in your office, where I called you a bitch and you gave me the one week suspension. You asked me what I wanted from you."

She remembered slowly, how impatience was itching under her skin, how Inuyasha was being stupid and nosey. Kagome remembered how those words tasted, tired and almost bitter, as she stared at him in desperation. _What do you want from me Inuyasha?_ And his eyes had gone wide, like he didn't know what to do with his body, and then he turned to flee before anything more could be said.

"Yeah," she whispered hoarsely. "I remember."

Inuyasha chuckled again, and it almost sounded worse than the one before. "It was the first time anyone had ever asked me that, and I was _so irritated _with you."

"_You _were irritated with _me_–"

"Hey, I'm talking," Inuyasha groused. "It was just– You were the first person that actually seemed to give a damn and in that moment, I had _no clue_ what I wanted. A part of me wanted you to scream and give up on me, because then I could be shipped off to some other handler that didn't give a shit. But then… Then I realized you _cared_ – by yelling and screaming endlessly – but you did, and all of a sudden I didn't know what I wanted more."

Kagome frowned, remaining silent.

"You still irritate me," Inuyasha finished.

"But I care," the field agent whispered, wondering where all of this was coming from, wondering what it all meant.

Inuyasha nodded his head. "Yeah, for some goddamn reason you care."

* * *

_December 5__th__, 2012_

* * *

The next time she had a night terror – which unsurprisingly was the next time she fell asleep – Inuyasha had immediately held her, grabbing onto her. He had been hanging out in his bed beside her, the one he had remained on while he was stuck in Medical with her. Now though, now he was there, so close it boggled her mind.

She was terrified but her senses only recognized him, only took in his golden eyes and silver hair and soft expression. Kagome could feel it in her chest, blooming there. It was similar to the band wrapped around her chest every time Miroku and Sango came near her but this…this was different.

This was something far above her to control.

Kagome choked back a sob and refused to let any tears fall as Inuyasha hugged her to him.

* * *

_December 8__th__, 2012_

* * *

Eventually the dreams stopped coming.

It happened around the time Inuyasha stopped switching over from his hospital bed and remained pointedly, and happily, in hers.

* * *

_December 9__th__, 2012_

* * *

The doctors had finally given her the go-ahead to leave Medical. They weren't too pleased about it, mostly because while she was completely healed and in peak physical condition, they didn't trust her emotional state. Dr. Nazuna Orikasa wasn't happy with Kagome's acceptance of what happened, didn't trust her not to snap under any additional pressure.

Kagome knew she could do it. She _knew it_.

For some reason, she was getting better on her own. She didn't need to talk to a psychologist to figure it out. Kagome had lived through something twice, something that was painful and horrible and psychologically damaging. But it didn't define her and Kagome wouldn't let it as much as she could.

And just because she wasn't talking to Nazuna about it, didn't mean that she wasn't _talking at all_, which was what happened last time. She'd been isolated and alone, given reports and forced into debriefings and given a _reason_ to escape.

This time, reason didn't let her.

Inuyasha didn't let her.

And it wasn't to say he was all too nice about it either. The half-demon was still his usual pain-in-the-ass self. After he decided to spill about the fact that Kagome cared, and ultimately, he did too…he shut up. Well, that was a lie. He didn't shut up at all.

"Goddamn it, there is _no way_ you knew about him having an affair," Inuyasha growled, arms crossed over his chest as he stared at the television. It was playing their favourite soap opera.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "You didn't see the way she kept sneaking glances at him during the engagement dinner?"

"She was _engaged_! Hence the dinner!" Inuyasha exclaimed. It was practically a growl. "I hate you."

"Not my fault you're going to owe me every paycheque you receive for the next ten years," Kagome replied lazily, putting her hand behind her head. "And you better make at least one good deal because the paperwork should be done in the next fifteen minutes, and after that there's no TV."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, turning his head only slightly to look at her. It wasn't hard, considering they were pressed together from the hips to their shoulders. Hospital beds weren't made for sharing, but the half-demon didn't move no matter how much Kagome argued.

A sudden knock at the door made them both turn their attention away from the television. In the doorway stood Miroku and Sango, the both of them looking nervous and out of place. Inuyasha tensed beside her, as if waiting for some reaction from her that wouldn't be wanted. But Kagome was tired – she was tired of running and waiting and hiding behind the pain of the past. She'd had more pain in the last month than most would have in a lifetime, but now she slowly came to realize that she couldn't let this control her. If she couldn't let her recent problems cloud her, certainly the past shouldn't be allowed to either.

"Hi," Kagome murmured quietly, trying for a small smile. "I'm surprised to see you guys."

"How are you feeling?" Sango asked, magenta eyes somewhat startled by the lack of anger. "We came in before but you were still unconscious."

"I'm…better," she answered, nodding at Sango before looking at Miroku. The black-haired man seemed shocked, almost like now that he had exactly what he wanted, he didn't know what to do with it. "How are you guys? You got out okay during the evacuation?"

Miroku nodded, smiling slowly. "Inuyasha told us you were being released today."

"He's quite the talker when you get to know him," Kagome muttered, glaring at the half-demon with barely any heat. It was absurdly fonder than it should be, and Kagome quickly looked away. "Are there any missions coming up?"

"Yeah," Sango answered. "The both of us leave tonight. I'm taking a team back to our old site for a final round of searching. Miroku's going to follow-up a lead on Arachnid."

"Do we know where they are?" Kagome asked, already knowing the answer from the looks on their faces. She expected as much, especially with what Bankotsu and Nazuna had told her, but she still wished that Naraku would be brought in – or even better, _killed_.

"We're looking," Miroku promised. Turning his blue eyes to Sango, he smiled. "We still have more to do, but we wanted to check in on you before we left."

Kagome watched the love that passed between the two other field agents, and couldn't help but smile herself. "Well thank you for that. When you get back, let me know. We'll get coffee or something equally as cliché."

"Sounds good," Miroku replied, looking like he wanted to step in and do something but ended up just waving. "Feel better Kagome, don't push yourself."

"Yeah right," Inuyasha muttered beside her, and Kagome couldn't help but laugh at little.

With the two field agents disappearing, Inuyasha propped himself up a little, raising a brow at her. "That was awfully calm of you."

Kagome shrugged. "Everyone has to heal, right?"

The half-demon nodded, his silver hair tickling her cheeks. "They looked…awfully couple-like for a place with fraternization rules," he said, a strange note to his voice that Kagome didn't want to read into, not just yet.

"They're both senior agents, both extremely good at their jobs," she explained. "They're not direct partners, not like you and me. I guess the higher-ups are a little more willing to overlook it, or they had been anyways. With things so messed up, I don't think it's going to be a big deal right now anyways."

"But it would be, eventually." Inuyasha's voice was deep, almost scratchy. "Would FANG really do that to people?"

"FANG, and those in power, would most likely consider the benefits and the costs of what that relationship would cause," Kagome said simply, looking up at Inuyasha. She reached out and poked his arm, forcing his golden gaze to look at her. "No one here is heartless, but if the getting together or the break up between agents could potentially cause a lot of destruction or danger for others, then something must be done."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "You sound rather sure of this rule."

"It's meant to be there for a reason," Kagome answered, nodding her head. "Do I agree with it? Not completely, but I also think that it's important to keep people safe in this line of work. We're already so close to death everyday that we need all the security we can get."

"Oh god," Inuyasha muttered, pushing himself up off the mattress and raising a brow at her. "Before you start waxing poetic on this some more, I'm going to go and hurry up whoever the hell is dragging their feet so you can get out of here, okay?"

Kagome tried for a smile, but it felt almost forced. She was suddenly, horribly cold. "Yeah, that sounds good. Thank you."

"Don't mention it." The half-demon gave a flimsy wave before disappearing out of the room and down the hall.

Kagome tried not to think too much about what was stirring in her stomach, even though she _knew_.

She honestly, truly knew exactly what Inuyasha meant to her. It terrified her how little she was actually scared about that fact. Maybe that just meant she shouldn't ignore it anymore. If anyone deserved happiness, it was her and Inuyasha.

Surely, _surely_, they could have that.

* * *

"I'm perfectly capable of walking back on my own," Kagome stated blandly, giving Inuyasha a glare. "My assigned quarters are not far away."

"It's two blocks," Inuyasha responded, like that was an answer in itself. "Don't be stupid."

The field agent chose not to comment. There was no point in dissuading him, not when he got like this. It was almost as bad as when he had forced her into having dinner with him – _where they didn't even speak_. Only they were talking now, but the silence wasn't particularly comfortable.

There was a tension thrumming under her skin. It made her nervous, on edge, but she didn't want to run away. Inuyasha was walking closely beside her, just far enough away that he wasn't touching.

It was maddening.

"Where are your quarters?" Kagome asked, looking around at their surroundings. They were located at another FANG base, on an edge city that housed a huge industrial market. There were more factories and warehouses than there were residential areas. FANG operatives were located in several scattered buildings – most of them warehouses converted into an apartment complex. Kagome didn't know the full extent of it, but she knew there were several, especially now that HQ agents had to be moved over.

"Not far," Inuyasha replied, smirking at her. "Worried for my virtue when I walk home in the dark?"

"I'm more worried about the safety of anyone you cross on the way back. Don't scare any of your new coworkers," Kagome mumbled. "I'm still your partner and anything that happens comes back to me."

Smirking, Inuyasha nudged her shoulder. "With the disarray and shit storm that's happening, I think it's going to take a while."

"Don't test that theory." Seeing the building coming up, Kagome realized it was supposed to be where her quarters were. Pulling out a key card that was given to her after signing out of Medical, Kagome studied the number imprinted on it. "202," she murmured, shoving it back in her pocket. They walked towards the entrance where her key card was required for a swipe. Inuyasha was standing close behind her – too close – and Kagome tried to ignore the warmth that radiated off of him.

"Are you going to enter or what?" Inuyasha asked, raising a brow.

Kagome stared at him, trying to get a read on his expression. His golden eyes watched her intently, a ghost of a smirk still left on his face. "What, you want to come in or something?" It was a bad question and she knew it. Kagome tried not to do something ridiculous – like lean into him, or _let him in her new quarters_.

"I don't know, do I?"

"No."

The smirk didn't leave Inuyasha's face. He was composed, cocky; the exact image that she saw before her was a replica of the man she met on their first day as partners. Kagome wasn't sure if that was good or bad. Inuyasha leaned forward, golden eyes irrefutably looking down at her lips before he held her gaze again. "Have a good night, Kagome."

The field agent shook her head at him, exasperated and desperately fond. There was a reason she wasn't backing up, wasn't putting space between them and Kagome refused to give it a name. She tried to cover the expression that was giving her away with a scowl. "When we start working again, it's back to Agent Higurashi, you know that right?"

"_Goodnight_," Inuyasha repeated, rolling his eyes.

There was one more second – breathtaking, consuming – where Kagome believed that the half-demon was going to close the distance between their lips, give her more than enough reason to let him in. It was only when he pulled away, eyes focused on her mouth, her chest inhaling and exhaling in anticipation, that Kagome felt something hit her hard. It swelled, made her bite back the words she wanted to say.

She was disappointed.

"Goodnight," she called out, watching as Inuyasha gave a half-assed salute before jumping off. With only an empty street around her, Kagome held back a sigh and swiped her card.

She was truly an idiot and for once, it horrified her that Inuyasha had been _right_. Fraternization rules, when had Kagome lost her grip on everything? Was it because Naraku had almost killed Inuyasha? Was it because, after that horrible week, that Inuyasha had been there for her and _refused_ to let her go?

It didn't matter. Rules were rules.

Kagome had to get her shit straightened out.

Her quarters were on the second level, located almost right beside the stairs. Kagome swiped her key card, punching in the base code that she knew she had to change later, before hearing the _click_ of the lock being pulled out. Opening the door, Kagome enthusiastically kicked it shut with her foot before any of the other FANG operatives that were out in the hall decided to talk to her. The room was nothing more than a double bed with a dresser and armour. Her North block apartment back at HQ had been far nicer and significantly larger. Given the reasons, Kagome didn't mind. She briefly scanned the items, seeing two pairs of standard FANG office suits, one of the older-styled field suits and some basic cotton undergarments. There were other things like towels and toiletries, baskets and electronics in assorted drawers. Kagome would have to check her accounts to see if she had any money for shopping tomorrow.

A sharp knock at the door had Kagome rubbing the bridge of her nose. She didn't need this right now, _not now_. She wanted to go to bed and possibly get rid of whatever had come over her senses as of late. She didn't bother with the peephole, instead just tugging open the door. It was probably one of the agents outside, who hadn't gotten the hint of her slamming the door, all simply to give her information on–

The fact that Inuyasha was _there_, _right there_ and then all of a sudden in her space made something short circuit in her brain. She was trained better than this, but Kagome couldn't help the small sound of a sigh that escaped her lips as Inuyasha crushed himself against her, hands tangled in her hair as he licked his way into her mouth. She didn't fight it, didn't stop it. She heard the abrupt slam of her bedroom door and suddenly Inuyasha was pushing her, twisting their bodies so that she was pressed against the frame.

"What are you doing?" Kagome asked, not waiting for an answer as she licked at his bottom lip, letting it slide inside his warm mouth to taste every inch of him. Inuyasha groaned, pushed her harder into the door and untangled his hands from her hair, tugging on the strands as he went. It absolutely did not elicit a whimper from her because something as telling as that would end any authority-like position she had.

"It's kind of obvious, isn't it?" Inuyasha asked in return, using his now free hands to push at her hips and then grind against her. He groaned, eyes fluttering shut as he lifted her higher, arranged her strictly for his pleasure.

Kagome felt her mind spinning, brain slowly going offline even as she strived for answers. It was getting far more difficult, his erection pressing against her and decidedly hinting at absolutely everything to come. "How'd you get in?"

"I live in the same building." Inuyasha stopped, golden eyes showing themselves as he smirked. Kagome could only watch as he slowly leaned in, teeth biting at her jaw before descending down her neck. She tilted, giving him more access as her hands searched his broad shoulders, feeling the definition and muscle that played beneath the flesh. She moaned as he latched on, mouth sucking a bruise she would just barely be able to hide while his thumbs pressed at her hips, sliding under her pants. "Tell me," the half-demon whispered, his voice whiskey rough as he hovered less than an inch above her skin.

Wanting – _needing _– him closer, Kagome wrapped her leg around his, trying to pull his body into hers, further into the door. She needed to feel it, needed to know exactly where she was and that this wasn't in her head. "Tell you what?" She sounded wrecked, like someone about to come apart when he'd barely touched her. Inuyasha affected her like no one else, seemed to push all of her buttons the wrong way and somehow got the right results. "What do you want me to do, Inuyasha?"

Silver hair danced between her fingers as she slid her hand up, thumb teasing the furry appendages on the top of his head. Inuyasha _rumbled_, as if unable to control himself. He rutted against her, grabbing at her legs and holding her up like she was nothing. He pressed her into the door, growling, desperate, and Kagome gasped at the feel of him, the slick hardness, rubbing against her.

"Tell me you want this," Inuyasha demanded, making it sound more like an order. "Tell me – _fuck_ – tell me you need this to happen. You want me to fuck you."

There was a rush inside her head, dizzy with desire as she continued to trace the outline of his ears. She gasped as his arms wrapped around her legs, hands palming her ass to lever her better so that their eyes were level, an unbroken gaze. It was one of those moments, the ones that Kagome was all too familiar with. It was the rush not unlike when she threw herself at Kagura, or Naraku, wanting to hurt them and burn them and _save him_. It was similar to the feeling she got when she drew an arrow, levelling it out and _inhale exhale_ before letting it go. _Bullseye_. It was equal to the rush of being gunned down, thrown into a crisis, when there had been an attack in a Hummer and Inuyasha was flying through the air to kill the man. The explosion that erupted, the fire and sheer _power_ of it stood in mighty contrast to this one second where there was just one breath, and then another. And in between those two vastly important moments, everything was different.

The wind was rushing around her ears, drowning everything with it because she was falling, but she knew that he was too, just as easily. Inuyasha had possibly been falling for a lot longer than her, the ground always getting closer but never close enough to kill.

Maybe they could catch each other, rules be damned.

"_Yes_," Kagome said, watching the golden irises turn to barely more than a ring, overtaken by the black lust. She leaned forward slowly, unable to tear her gaze away as her lips brushed against his, dancing slick and sticky against the flesh. "_Please_."

It was like somebody broke him, ripped something out of him. Inuyasha groaned, the rumble deep and dark in his chest as he dropped her, barely holding her enough to stop her from falling to the ground. His clawed hands ripped at the shirt Medical had provided her, tugging it off and throwing it behind him only seconds before capturing her lips. Kagome didn't want to be left behind, not in this game, so she grabbed the buckle of his pants, tugging hard enough to close the small distance between them, sliding the latch out of the hole and tossing off the metal buckle. Her hands teased along his skin, burning hot, while his tongue did obscene things in her mouth, an invisible claim that only she would know. Kagome's hands wandering up his body, feeling the rugged indent of muscle up along his abs, his chest, nipples tight nubs before she painfully scratched her way back down.

Inuyasha groaned, pushing forward hard enough to smack her head hard into the door. Teeth bit into her lower lip, the taste of copper dashing into her mouth but the half-demon was unrelenting, licking and soothing and hurting her all at the same time. Her hands undid the button of his pants, shoving them down as far as she could without moving, completely unsurprised by the lack of boxers he wore. Her legs were wobbly and it was almost a shock the moment Inuyasha let go of her, dragging his mouth away to fall to his knees. She stared, her brown eyes fascinated as he ripped at her own loose pants, pushing them down and off with the underwear. They needed to be _gone_.

No sooner than when she pushed her foot out of the scratchy material, Inuyasha hands grabbed at her. One pressed her firmly into the door, strong, powerful and commanding. Kagome barely had a second to catch her breath before his other hand slid thick digits into her, fingers pumping and teasing that spot inside. Kagome let out a startled moan, felt her legs buckle and _fuck_ she would've gone down if Inuyasha hadn't already been holding her up, keeping her there just for him.

Inuyasha watched her with lust-blown eyes, groaning at the feel as he dragged his wet fingers back out, sliding them up her body. "So good for me," he whispered, standing back up and grabbing at her legs. She relaxed, pliant against the door as the half-demon picked her up like she was nothing. Maybe it was something in the way she looked, but Inuyasha shook his head, awestruck for all of two seconds before he slammed her into the door – hard, unrelenting, _shit_ – and slid into her tight, hot body.

The neighbours had to know, they had to be able to hear, but Kagome couldn't feel bad in the least. The sounds they were making vibrated along the door, and Inuyasha sucked a bruising kiss over the still marked bites along her throat. His first thrust was jarring, sharp and Kagome cried out, grabbing at his shoulders for any kind of leverage. She was flying and trapped at the same time, unable to move but not touching the ground, fully taken over by the half-demon before her. Inuyasha growled, hands grabbing at her, moving her to his will, and each thrust sent shocks of pleasure along her spine, nerves alight with fire. The door was shaking behind them with every movement, a repetitive _thump-thump_ as Inuyasha kept along with his brutal pace, taking and taking and Kagome clung to him, pulled him closer and hung on only to _feel_.

She tugged on his hair hard, forcing the growl out of Inuyasha's throat. He reciprocated by slamming into her, holding her there tight against him, arms like steel around her. Inuyasha's panted breath danced along her cheeks, soft and tiny noises clawing their way out his throat as he tried to stay still, to capture this moment and never let it end.

"Kagome," he whispered. Inuyasha had never sounded so broken down and bare, ruffled by everything that was pressing down on them. His hips danced in little circles, cock thick and heavy inside of her, and Kagome wanted nothing more than to have him deeper, harder.

"More," she begged, belatedly hearing the tremor in her voice, the unspoken need that made the moment.

"Anything," Inuyasha murmured against her skin, lips slick and hot as they spoke into her flesh. His grip on her changed, shifted, and Kagome simply held on as Inuyasha pounded into her with a new ferocity, a new desperation that was unmatched by anything Kagome had experienced so far. She was falling, dizzy with pleasure and pain from the door she crashed into with each powerful thrust, and all Kagome could do was cry out and edge him on, begging him to touch her, to claim her, to make her his in this mess of a moment.

Inuyasha was whispering, incoherent words making their way into her ears with every rough pant and hard thrust. Every muscle in his body was screaming, tightening – _too much, too much_– and he wasn't prepared for this, not for the burst of pleasure that was radiating through him or the desire to thrust deep and to never, ever let go. Kagome screamed out, her hands grabbing at his head and holding him to her, never to move, so tight he almost couldn't breathe, couldn't move–

It felt like his climax was being physically ripped out of him, torn and overwhelming as he came inside of her, thrusts weakening and milking every bit of him until he couldn't move anymore. Kagome was panting on top of him, still desperate and red-faced and grinding against him. She needed release, needed _him_, and Inuyasha slid out of her only to toss her onto the nearby bed. Kagome moaned, scrambling at the sheets to lie down in a better position. Slowly the half-demon moved closer, eyeing her up and down. He watched the gorgeous flush that crawled across her skin, the rise and fall of her bra-contained breasts. There were bruises forming on her hips, dark marks marring her neck from their time with Arachnid – _his bite marks, what she told him to do_.

Inuyasha stopped, blinking down at the woman staring at him, openly begging him with her eyes, her mouth, her spread body. She was beautiful, every single part of her, and together they had given up so much – for themselves, for each other. They had been through many things with so much more to come, and Inuyasha knew without a doubt that they would get through it all. Kagome was magnificent in a way he couldn't describe – hell, _wouldn't_ describe even if he got the chance. He was already open, heart bleeding, and still slow he climbed onto the mattress.

"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered, sounding wrecked and desperate. Her voice was husky, hoarse from screaming and deepened by lust. "I swear if you don't move–"

The half-demon didn't need anymore prompting. He slid up her body, softening cock pressing against her thigh as he kissed her, deep and torturously slow. Kagome actually cried out in frustration, her legs trying to wrap around him and bring him closer. Inuyasha pressed against her chest, stopping her movements and making the field agent look up at him, wondering.

"I need you," Kagome said simply, clearly. Her brown eyes were piercing against his golden ones, searching. "Just, won't you–"

"I've got you," Inuyasha replied, bending his head down to kiss her again. He kept it slow and teasing, letting his hand roam across her body to soothe the tense muscles, to soothe the urgent desire to come. Shifting on the mattress, he lifted her back up just enough so that he could unhook her bra, sitting up to remove it inch by inch. Her breasts, full and small and flushed, rose and fell with each breath and Inuyasha wasted no time to claim them, his mouth sucking on the one while his hand tormented the other. She was a writhing mess beneath him, desire consuming her as her hands grabbing at his head, pushing him closer and making him suck harder. His teeth scraped across the flesh, making her gasp out and moan his name with a litany of curses. Licking across the valley between her breasts, his mouth tasted the other, the claws of his free hand scraping lightly down her side. Fingers traced along the fresh bruises, _his_, and Inuyasha growled before moving on, the pads searching out her wet heat.

Kagome was making noises that drove him on, made him slide a single finger gently over the opening, teasing across the hole. Her hips grinded against him, against his cock that was desperately trying to grow, that needed to be inside of her once more. Kagome sobbed, bit out angry words about teasing her endlessly and _get on with it_. But Inuyasha had other plans. He wanted to make her fall apart, again and again and again until he could build her back up and destroy her for good. She tried so hard to make him press his fingers inside of her, and every cant of her hips he relented just the slightest – almost, but not quite. _Come on, try harder Agent._

Frustrated and desperate, Kagome's hands grabbed at his face and pulled him closer so that she could kiss him, transfer all of the need that she felt into his mouth. Her tongue probed, pressed, searched and _claimed_, and Inuyasha grinded his hips against her while he finally relented, finally slid a single finger inside of her. Kagome was so wet, and Inuyasha was driving himself insane with the need to claim her again, to fuck her into stupidity until they both couldn't move. He settled for gently pumping inside of her, pressing against the ridged flesh with rhythmic timing until Kagome broke the kiss. She was moaning, needy and insatiable, and Inuyasha didn't stop his assault even as her voice hitched higher, the sounds she was making breaking her apart. He could feel his come inside of her, the warmth as he slid in another finger, and Kagome was breathing hard, sighing louder. Her body tensed, legs trying to wrap around him as her hands clutched at the bed sheets. She cried out, arching her back in an almost unnatural bend while she came. Her body wracked with tremors, her hands scrambling on his skin for some sort of purchase and Inuyasha couldn't help himself. He reached down, stroking his hardening cock. The sight of her, flushed and panting and completely vulnerable only for his eyes made something in him snap into place.

This was exactly how it was supposed to be. It was only him and Kagome, the two of them against the world, against Arachnid, and that was how it had to stay. There was only Before Kagome and After Kagome, and things had never been better for him, more tempting. Every blazing glare from those dark brown depths had Inuyasha balking. Each sharp order and barked command had him laughing, wanting to disobey only to see the fierce fire in her eyes.

Inuyasha groaned, cock leaking all over the sheets and it wasn't until he looked back at her face that he realized she was staring at him, lips red and kiss-swollen. Her orbs, nearly black, were almost covered, her lids heavy with endorphins and release. Still, her one hand slid through his hair while the other touched his face, gently, like she knew everything that he was thinking.

This was Kagome and _fuck_, but this was all he ever needed.

"Come here," Kagome whispered quietly, gently pulling him closer.

Inuyasha didn't need to be told twice. He crawled over her body, hands braced around her face while he leaned down to kiss her. It was nothing like before, nothing like their first kiss that was all desperation and need and desire. This was quiet, a soothing slide meant to slowly stoke the fire burning between them. His tongue licked the seam of her lips, searching every crevasse to claim her. Each movement was almost exaggeratedly slow, but Kagome merely wound her hands around his back, legs intertwining with his.

"Kagome," he whispered against her lips, pulling back to see her face, to see her dark brown eyes. He tried to show her everything he couldn't say, and Kagome seemed to get it by the slow appearance of her smile. He bent down, kissing lightly over her neck, wrapping his one arm under her head so that he was cradling her. "You're mine," he breathed against her skin. "Always mine."

"I was never anyone else's," Kagome told him, nearly breathless, and she canted her hips, aligning them without with hands or gazes. She planted her heels into the mattress as Inuyasha slid forward, cock teasing around her hole before slowly pushing in, back into that tight heat that he never wanted to leave. His thrusts were tiny pulses of in and out, pushing and pulling inside of her. Kagome rolled her hips in time with his, the feelings washing over them and leaving them speechless. Only their shared breath was between them, Inuyasha's golden gaze moving across every bit of skin he could. He kissed her lips, her cheeks, her jaw with each thrust in. Kagome's gasps were nearly silent, a plea without words that drove Inuyasha wild.

It didn't take long, not with the way Kagome was holding him so tight, like she was afraid he might disappear. Inuyasha still cradled her against him, her hot skin rubbing against his own, and his clawed hands gently raked through her hair. He bent down, kissed her thoroughly, and let his lips rest against hers while her pants quickened, body wrapping around him tighter. He kept his thrusts short, teasing, his cock begging to come inside of her once more but he wanted to watch her fall apart again. Inuyasha needed to witness it, once more so that it wasn't a fluke, it was _theirs_.

Compared to last, Kagome came quietly around him, nearly sobbing into his neck with the sensations flooding her. Inuyasha had never felt more important then, had never felt such purpose before until he was with her, and it was this thought that carried him over, his climax slamming into him like a freight train. He groaned loud and long into her hair, nose tickled against the midnight black strands, and it was while he was overwhelmed with the pleasure, the feel, the desire to never be apart that Inuyasha whispered against her hair.

Kagome sighed, kissing his chest before tilting her head to try and look up at him. "Inuyasha?"

The half-demon wanted nothing more than to pass out, but he knew what he said, knew what he felt. He couldn't back down now. Inuyasha pushed up on his aching arms to stare down at the beautiful field agent underneath him. "Hmm?"

The smile that came from her rosy lips was probably the most enthralling thing he'd ever been able to witness, but Inuyasha kept the thought securely to himself. He'd already said one stupid – but true – statement. He didn't need to make Kagome think he was going completely soft.

"I love you too," she whispered, turning her gaze down shyly to kiss his chest again. "I love you too." This time it was whispered into his skin, just like his promise to her had been. It seemed oddly fitting, and Inuyasha slowly pulled out of her, ignoring the mess. He grabbed a towel from the small chest of drawers and then used it to clean them up, taking special care of Kagome as she lay on the bed, tired and sated. He gently lifted her and rearranged the sheets so that neither of them would be lying on a wet spot. He grabbed the spare blanket, draped it over top of them, and then with a kiss to her forehead fell promptly to sleep.

* * *

_December 10__th__, 2012_

* * *

Kagome woke up to the feeling that she was being watched. "Inuyasha," she groaned, rolling onto her stomach to bury her face in the pillow. Somehow, she and Inuyasha had managed to sleep on a tiny excuse of a double bed and a single pillow. Kagome suspected that there wasn't much room between them at all that night.

The feeling of being stared at didn't go away.

Sighing dramatically, because it was too early to be dealing with this kind of crap, Kagome rolled back over and looked at the half-demon. She was startled to see that there was something in his eyes, something that gnawed on worry and wonder, but a fierce resolve to take whatever it was head on.

Somehow, Kagome just knew.

"All female agents are required to be on some form of birth control, for several reasons," she said quietly, reaching up to stroke the bangs on his forehead. "For example, rape isn't exactly uncommon during capture, especially when only one person is taken. Additionally, maternity leave and parenthood isn't something they encourage here. We all knew that coming in."

Inuyasha seemed to sag with relief, even if it was temporary. "But I've never seen–"

"It's a shot," Kagome explained. "Once every three months. I've always thought that it's probably not good for the body, but Medical here is the greatest in the world. I can't exactly argue, and the pill isn't exactly effective when you're captured and without it. I also didn't want any metal lining my uterus, because that shit hurts."

Snorting and rolling his eyes, Inuyasha sank back down into the bed, his arm draped protectively around her.

"What time is it?" Kagome asked, curious but not really wanting to know the answer.

"Six in the morning," the half-demon replied, smirking. "We went to bed early, all things considered."

"Want to see what kind of training facility they have?" Kagome asked, stretching. "I was sternly told that I wasn't going on any missions for the next week or so."

"Well we would hate for you to get lazy," Inuyasha drawled, grabbing her hips so that he could roll her on top of his hard body. "It's not easy work keeping me in line."

Kagome laughed suddenly, shaking her head as she smiled down at him. "Right, as if that _ever_ happened."

"Shh," Inuyasha mumbled, leaning up to press a kiss to her lips. "I'm trying to help you pretend."

Letting her eyes close at the feel of his mouth against hers, Kagome sighed. "Mm, let's not waste that delusion, shall we?"

"Yes ma'am." Inuyasha's hand curled into the long, silky locks of her hair and pulled her down, kissing her thoroughly.

It was another hour or so before heading to the training facility was even a remote possibility.

* * *

_December 15__th__, 2012_

* * *

Kagome took a deep breath and knocked on the door to the temporary office of Bankotsu Takeshi. She had been summoned for the meeting an hour ago, a quick call on her cell phone that made her worry somewhat. He sounded brisk, but then again, he normally did.

It didn't have to mean anything. Surely there were other very important matters besides the fact that she and Inuyasha were having a romantic, sexual relationship.

Emphasis on the sexual, but the romance tended to sneak in there on those odd moments that neither one of them was particularly careful.

Kagome couldn't be happier, which was why she was so nervous now. It was ridiculous because Bankotsu probably didn't even know. Her neighbours surely did, but that didn't mean– It had been less than a week ago that it started so really–

"Higurashi, are you coming in or what?" Bankotsu yelled, sounding almost amused.

Startling and a bit horrified by it, Kagome rapped her knuckles on the office door before opening it. She was about to wonder how the man knew of her presence, but there sitting across from Bankotsu was Inuyasha, rolling his eyes at her. He'd probably heard her walk down the hall, announced her presence only for her to hesitate and not walk in. Perfect. "Sir," she murmured, trying to not let her gaze linger on the half-demon. "What is he doing here?"

"It concerns him, so he's here," Bankotsu replied, tapping his fingers on a file folder. The senior agent's – the new _director's_ – gaze never left her even as she relaxed into the leather chair, aiming for nonchalance. He smiled. "How are you feeling, Agent?"

"Better sir," Kagome replied. "Although I still have a few more days of required rest before any actual field work."

"Yes, I've been told." Bankotsu shook his head, grabbing the folder and tossing it towards them. "R&D was finally able to recover information from your chip. Most of the information was damaged and unrecoverable, but the file must have been quite large because we did receive a fair amount of useable data. The majority of the information was still coded and while we managed to decipher a lot of it, it's still not a complete picture."

"Sir?" Kagome asked, lifting the cover and seeing a stack of carefully placed papers inside.

"I want you to head this up," Bankotsu answered, nodding his head for her to look through it. "I want you in charge of the recovery of the Shikon no Tama. I want you and Inuyasha to be hands-on, thorough, and most importantly driven to find the jewel, secure it, and then work with it to determine how we can use it to our advantage against Arachnid."

Inuyasha, who had been mostly quiet, spoke up. "We have a location?"

"Three locations, actually," Bankotsu replied. "There's a potential that the jewel has been split, but coding couldn't confirm. Or, two locations are traps while only one has what we need."

Kagome read the scope, seeing the main points of discovery. One of them struck her as odd, clouding her mind with thoughts. "The jewel is completely energy-based. Usage of it takes a lot of power."

The new director nodded, giving a small smile. "Yet another reason why you should take this project on, Agent. As someone with purifying energy, you'd be best suited to control it. We don't yet know the effect demonic energy would have on the jewel, but certainly a lot of energy is drawn in the process. To travel through a well, a portal like we had previously examined, with that sort of energy may actually be debilitating. Again, nothing can be confirmed."

"What about Naraku?" Inuyasha growled lowly. "We're just supposed to forget about him?"

Director Takeshi narrowed his gaze at the half-demon, studying him. "He's in the wind. We have _every single team_ out there looking for him. We have every database searching, every policing institution knowledgeable. We'll find him and when that time comes, I will take the necessary steps to ensure his capture."

Kagome looked at Inuyasha then, seeing the tense jump in the half-demon's muscles. He wanted to argue, she could see, so she carefully kicked out with her foot, nudging his ankle lightly. Inuyasha didn't look down or acknowledge it – which she was thankful for – but he seemed to relent in his internal argument. "Sir, is this all?"

Bankotsu was still looking at Inuyasha, blue eyes piercing before he looked away slowly, leaning back in his chair. "There was one more thing I would like for you to consider," the director said carefully. "I am without a second-in-command, so to speak. I was there for Director Kyouda during her time and with this mess and all the shit that's going on, I need someone I can trust." Bankotsu raised a brow at her, deliberate. "I want you to consider it. Of course, most agents of such a status no longer have demonic partners even when in the field."

Inuyasha growled instantly and Kagome had to bite back the urge to hit him or to say something incredibly stupid to Bankotsu. Completely torn, she sat there, waiting for more.

The director didn't hesitate to continue, his small smile growing. "Of course, Inuyasha has never been particularly friendly to most of his partners, and yet works with you _perfectly_. Funny, how that is."

Kagome knew exactly where this was going, and her stomach churned unhappily as Bankotsu looked between the two of them. He _knew_, fuck he knew. Sex against the door had been a really, _really_ stupid idea. This was where the ultimatum was going to come in. Bankotsu was going to urge her to take the job so that there would be no consequences for fraternization. It would be kinder, because all infractions were reported and listed, and not hard for others to see. Inuyasha would probably be offered to work on his own, or to have his own team. The thought made her cringe almost as much as she wanted to laugh. Inuyasha leading any team was probably a wish for kamikaze insanity.

"I'd hate to ruin this gift-horse partnership, especially with your current track record being so strong," Bankotsu finally said, nodding his head. He looked at Inuyasha, appraising. "Only Agent Higurashi would be my second-in-command, but as her partner you would have certain access grants as well. Regardless of _why_ your professional relationship is the way it is, I want to see what the two of you can accomplish. Consider this, if you choose to accept it, a sort of promotion."

It was so hard containing the smile that Kagome wanted to let show. She carefully reined it in, hands holding against the rests of the chair tightly. Bankotsu knew and he wasn't going to separate them. He knew and he was offering something different, something that would make it harder to break them apart. She wanted to accept the position, right then and there, but that would be far too eager and Bankotsu clearly wanted her to consider it first. "Yes sir, thank you, I will."

Nodding his head, the new director turned to look at Inuyasha. "I will ask for your acceptance of this position from you as well, considering the changes. Now, Inuyasha if you don't mind, I'd like to speak to Agent Higurashi in private."

Again, Inuyasha looked about ready to argue. Obviously Bankotsu's offered promotion did nothing to make him smarter. Kagome sent him a glare, which Inuyasha barely acknowledged. It wasn't until his ears twitched to her direction that he finally growled and got up. "Fine. Higurashi, I'll be in training," Inuyasha stated. His golden eyes were still staring at Bankotsu and for fuck's sake, what was he trying to pull?

Kagome shook her head and held back a sigh. "Then you should go."

Without another world, the half-demon disappeared out the door, closing it behind him.

Bankotsu burst out laughing, and it startled Kagome so much that all she could do was watch him in stunned silence. When the director finally calmed down, rolling his head along the back of his chair like he was the most relaxed being out there, he rubbed at his face. "My god, how do you work like that?"

"Work like…what?" It seemed like a trick question, so Kagome decided that playing dumb was the best option.

"I thought it was a mixture of the drugs and a we-just-went-through-hell state of mind, but he's possessive. That glaring match there was like a battle of manhood. Frankly, I was a bit scared." Bankotsu shook his head, grinning.

And Kagome felt stupid for just staring at him, she really did. Bankotsu had always been nice to her, but he was blunt and to the point. He was never _joking_ or _friendly_ in this sort of manner. "I doubt that's what Inuyasha was trying to do. He has issues with authority."

Bankotsu looked at her for a moment before shrugging. "I'm well aware of that, which is why I asked to talk to you privately. I _know_ what's going on between you, and I'm surprised at you, Agent. You've never been one to break the rules."

"With all due respect, the rule has been broken before many times," Kagome commented, trying for casual. "I can't say to what it'll change in the field, but I certainly doubt that he'll listen to me anymore than he already does."

"True enough." Bankotsu nodded. "But I need you to understand this, Kagome. You can't let this effect you, as much as possible."

"Understood." She bit her lip, reeling from the use of her first name. This _was_ Bankotsu, trying to be a friend, someone else she could trust. She could see it in the way he looked at her, calm but assessing.

He seemed satisfied with her answer because he leaned back, eyes turning to the folder. "We will find Naraku, and he will be punished. I promise you that. Until then, I expect results. So, are you going to accept the position or do you really need to think about it?"

Kagome gave a small smile, reaching a hand out for his to shake. "Director, I'd be honoured to accept the position."

* * *

_December 27__th__, 2012_

* * *

"Inuyasha, I swear to god I will _murder you_ if you jump down. Stay in the tree, damn it, stay in the _tree_."

"But Arachnid is _here_, for fuck's sake," Inuyasha snapped through the ear piece. "If they get their hands on the jewel we are done. _Naraku_ could be in there."

"I don't care," Kagome replied, checking her laptop. "You don't go in until we have confirmation to go. Maybe he managed to get the schematics that we had. Maybe he knows exactly where the jewel is hidden."

"Not many people would figure out it's behind a secret door," the half-demon spat dryly. Kagome didn't have to see him perfectly to know he was rolling his eyes. "Give me the signal Kagome, let me take them out. You know I can do it."

"First of all, it's _Higurashi_. Get that through your thick skull, we are on a mission and this is not the bedroom. Secondly, I know you can but we are agents of FANG and we follow protocol. There are seven other agents with you. All we need is word from the director and we're a go."

For a long moment there was silence, but Kagome should've known it wasn't a good sign. She readjusted her binoculars, aiming them for the tree that Inuyasha was keeping cover in. It wasn't difficult to find him, not with the way his ass was so nicely fitted into the field suit and _shit_–

"I said not to go!" Kagome snapped, watching in frustration and anger as Inuyasha jumped forwards. FANG agents followed his lead, the seven of them running towards the entrance of a cave which led to an underground labyrinth. The chip former-Director Kaede Kyouda had given her provided them with directions, but without it there was little chance of getting out. Inuyasha knew the schematics, but there was no way to ensure communication would hold while underground. "Inuyasha, don't you dare step into that cave–"

"You said go!" Inuyasha exclaimed, tiny pants of breath coming across the line. He immediately stepped through the cave. "So I went."

"I said we were waiting for the word and _then_ we were a go– Damn it, do not argue with me Inuyasha. When you get back here I am going to _kill you_. Do you hear me? You will be suspended for weeks!"

"Uh, Agent Higurashi?"

"What?" Kagome snapped, dropping the binoculars because they were useless anyways. Inuyasha was already inside.

The agent beside her cringed a little, looking like she wanted to shrink down in size to avoid Kagome's hard gaze. "Director Takeshi has just confirmed that we are to infiltrate, ma'am."

"Good, thank you." Kagome tried not to seethe. "Inuyasha, are you still with me?"

"Yes, and I heard that. See? It all worked out. I have an Arachnid in sight– _Hey fucker_!" Inuyasha yelled, sounding far too pleased. "Get lost?"

Unable to do anything more, Kagome listened carefully to the communication line while she ordered around the various agents on her team. Nobody could confirm how many Arachnid demons there were, or how long they had been there. Not only that, no one could confirm whether the underground would sever contact lines and Kagome didn't like variables she couldn't control.

She had Inuyasha and he was _more_ than enough of an uncontrollable variable.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha murmured, the sound of his voice a bit strained. "I'm going to the underground portion, okay? I'll check in the moment I can confirm a clear."

"I'm sending in more agents," Kagome replied, choosing not to correct him this time on appropriate titles. "Inuyasha, listen to me. You keep your head up, got it? Regardless of contact, if you see Naraku you do not take him head on. You wait for backup, am I clear?"

"I won't do anything stupid," Inuyasha murmured, trying to be soothing. "I'm listening."

Letting out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, Kagome nodded, belatedly realizing he couldn't see it. "Good. Just…good."

"Kagome, I'll come back out," Inuyasha pressed. "I will come back out to you, I promise."

"I'll hold you to it," she whispered back, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. Their partnership sure as hell hadn't changed, regardless of the fact they shared the same bed at night. But this– This was something she could hold onto and Kagome knew that no matter what, he would make it back to her.

The jewel was close. Naraku was still in the wind no matter how many men they had out looking for him. Nothing could be confirmed, but even as the variables stacked up against her, Kagome took in a deep breath and let it out. They would get the jewel. They would find it, harness it and then use it to their advantage. They would find Naraku and kill him. He would be executed for his crimes, shown no remorse by the world that hardly knew of his existence. These were plans. These were goals and promises that Kagome had to keep, had to believe in.

Inuyasha promised her that he would come back, and this, too, she had to believe.

It felt like an eternity before there was any word. Every second made fear crawl up her spine, made her yell at agents, trying to get some form of contact. She didn't like this, she _didn't like this_. Damn Inuyasha, damn him for doing this to her. "Ka– Higurashi? Do you copy?"

Kagome pressed the ear bud closer, even though it would do nothing to help. "Yes, Inuyasha I hear you. Status report."

"I lost contact but– I have it here. Five Arachnids down. And I've got it. I've got the jewel."

"Then you come back to me, Inuyasha," Kagome ordered, probably too loud but she didn't care. "You come back right this instant or I'll throttle you. I might anyways because you didn't listen to me, _yet again_. This is not how a proper partnership is supposed to work. _You_ _come back right now_."

"Copy that," Inuyasha replied, sounding smug. "And don't worry, I love you too. I'm coming back to you, Kagome, just like I promised."

And this time when a smile threatened to overcome her, she didn't stop it. "It's Higurashi."

Inuyasha scoffed. "With me? It really, really isn't."

* * *

**The End**

* * *

**Comments to Acknowledge**

_Whoobonhooaglo:_ Thank you darling! I know it's short, but I think if I did it any longer I'd ruin it. It's just...I would ruin it. That's all I can say haha. Thank you for being so amazing through all of this!

_Maelia8:_ Oh no, thank you for being so sweet! I hope you enjoyed it very much :)

_Songa:_ Aw thanks :D That's so nice of you to say. Shucks.

_LadySparrow:_ Darling, I can't thank you enough for being so supportive the entire time through this. It sincerely means a lot. A sequel? You know, there is always the possibility because I am ridiculous like that. I can't make any promises, because this is probably only the second story that I've ever written that I've been truly in love with from beginning to end. And I fear ruining it, huge. But you never know. I do stupid things all the time ;) My website is also up, and it's creatively under the domain of . Thanks love!

_MidniteOni:_ And you, my love, I must also thank for being so awesome. I sincerely hope you liked it *crosses fingers*

* * *

**Author's Note**

It's that time again, where I thank all of you for the love and support I've received for this story. A few of you are probably wanting to throttle me for ending it the way I did, but I DID warn at the very beginning that this story was purely for romance sake with a plot that was kind of only there for the sake of having one. This was always - _always_ - the way it was supposed to end. I knew that from the very beginning. I did, of course, struggle with it. I'm not one that likes to leave things untidy or unwrapped, but I couldn't go on with this.

What You're Falling On pretty much took over my brain, which a few of you know and another few of you probably want to shoot me for. I wrote this in like a week straight, and kept it to myself for a bit because I wanted to tweak each chapter as I posted. Will there ever be more? Will there be a sequel? A timestamp? _Something_? As I've said before, maybe. I'm one of those writers that gets something in their head and can't let it go. If something comes that I think is _worth it _to write, I will. But I love this story - so much that it hurts - and it's only the second story I've ever loved from beginning to end, and the _only_ story that I've never had problems writing at some point. I don't want to destroy that. I don't want to lose the chemistry and the intensity and whatever else I selfishly believe is in here.

To answer more questions, _yes_ my website is now mostly functional. It is creatively under the domain of . I would recommend subscribing so that you get email notifications just like on FFN, and I would also recommend that you check my sole post on my blog for more details. My profile will also have more information.

With much love,

_Witchy_

P.S. And to sign off like I normally do...

* * *

**Feedback is love.**


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